


The Star-Dusted Man

by jellyfish_kuchen



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Past Lives, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Blood, Demons, Flashbacks, In which Yamaguchi's freckles are legitimately stars, M/M, Magic, Monsters, Past Character Death, Post-Apocalypse, Recovered Memories, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Spirits, moon and stars, well kinda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-05-21 16:47:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6058702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jellyfish_kuchen/pseuds/jellyfish_kuchen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world as we knew it had long since passed. It had been more than two hundred years since humanity had to start over from the ground up, and those at the beginning made sure to destroy practically everything that was left from that seemingly ancient past.</p><p>Now, a young man by the name of Tsukishima Kei has started having visions of the long forgotten past, and a long forgotten man; a man with a gentle smile and the stars dusting his skin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The grass was cool under Kei's palms as he looked out at the river, it's surface glittering under the afternoon sun. It was warm, but the cool breeze that blew off the river made it bearable. He picked at the grass by his side idly, before he lay back with a sigh. He looked up at the branches of the tree that cast shadow over him; at the multiple shades of green speckled with shining light that shimmered in the wind. He closed his eyes, entirely calm, listening to the flow of the river and the sounds of the summer.

Kei tugged his thick glasses off and set them aside, thinking that he could fall asleep right here. It wasn't as if he had anything he wanted to do today, even if he knew that his brother was bound to come looking for him. He sighed, looking up at the blur of green overhead before he slid his eyes closed again. His eyes were useless on their own. He ran his hand through his hair, and hummed a light tune to himself. 

A sudden splash in the river made him sit up, and squint uselessly at the river's surface, his hand searching his side for the glasses. He thought he heard someone yelp and splash in the water again, but all he saw was an indistinguishable blur of movement. He grimaced, turning completely to the side to feel around for his glasses. 

Once he found them and put them on, whoever or whatever had been there was gone. He reached for the dagger on his belt defensively, listening for any signs of movement as he pushed himself to his feet, the grass tickling the bottoms of his feet. Kei scanned the ground around him, the trees, the river. There was nothing extraordinary that stood out to him, but he knew better than to assume he was in the clear from just that. This forest was full of strange (and often dangerous) creatures, everyone in town knew that. 

A twig snapped behind him and he whipped around, to see the outline of a man. He charged him, and slammed him back into a tree, holding the dagger at his throat. It was only then, when he saw Akiteru's wide eyes staring up at him that he relaxed, and backed up.

"Sorry." He bit out with a deep frown, watching his older brother physically relax and fix his tunic. 

"What's gotten into you, Kei?" He asked, crossing his arms. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Kei shrugged noncommittally, turning away. "What did you want?"

"Mom doesn't like it when you go off into the woods like this, you know that. She sent me to go find you. She thinks you're in town." Akiteru sighed, rubbing his neck. 

"It's not like the forest is that dangerous in daylight." Kei grumbled before turning back to his tree and picking up his soft leather shoes. He pulled them on, sheathing his dagger as he walked past his brother, heading back to their small town. 

"That's not the point. If you're going to be out here, you'll need a better weapon than that little dagger." His brother chided, to which Kei just rolled his eyes.

Akiteru followed close behind him, talking about Tanaka-san's daughter and how she'd come into their shop for medical treatment again, after a hunting trip. His mother owned and ran the only apothecary shop in the entire town, and Akiteru was going to take it over when she wasn't able to do it anymore. Akiteru had a natural gift for mixing medicines and taking care of the sick and injured, like his mother did. However, Kei didn't share the same enthusiasm about the work as his mother and brother did. His mother had said that he gets it from his father, not that he'd ever known him. He didn't really care, and would much rather be in the forest, away from people. He never got along much with the townsfolk, anyway.

A blur of movement from the corner of his eye made Kei turn his head but when he looked, again he saw nothing. It felt like he was being watched. He put his hand over the handle of his dagger, beginning to feel paranoid. 

"Kei?" Akiteru spoke up. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He grunted, facing forward again but not letting go of his dagger. "Let's just get out of here."

 

Their village was a small one, it sat on the outskirts of the Karasuno forest, which is their town's namesake. It was a quiet town most days, filled with interesting characters that all did their jobs, respectively. However, to Kei, most of the "interesting" attributes of the people of Karasuno were annoying and stupid. There were exceptions, like Sawamura-san and Sugawara-san. He didn't particularly like them, but they were among the few people that he didn't dislike, due to their rationality and reliability. Most of the others were loud, obnoxious, and unpredictable. Luckily enough, he didn't run into any of the less desirable people as he and his brother made it back to the apothecary shop. 

He helped out in his mother's shop for the remainder of the day, manning the storefront while Akiteru and his mother tended to injuries in the back room. He leaned his head onto his folded arms on the counter as he sighed, listening to the clink of bottles in the back and the occasional murmur of conversation. The familiar scent of incense burning and the quiet of the shop had a calming effect on him. If he weren't standing he might've been tempted to fall asleep.

His comfort, however, was short lived as the sound of the bell on the door to the shop sounded. He looked up and immediately wished he'd stayed in the forest. Whatever was out there, no matter how dangerous, would have been a better than dealing with this idiot. In the doorway stood Kageyama Tobio, son of their town's blacksmith. He and Kei had never gotten along. In fact, if Kei cared enough, which he didn't, he might've actually hated him.

Kageyama stomped up to the counter, his scowl ever-present on his face. "I need some burn salve." He said, and Kei straightened enough to lean his chin into his palm.

"Is that any way to address someone doing you a service?" Kei sneered, his lips curling into a smirk. "Not even a 'please.' I should turn you away for being a rude customer."

"Please." Kageyama grunted indignantly, his frown deepening as he glared at Kei. 

The bespectacled man just rolled his eyes and stood straight, walking to the shelves of different medicinal elixirs and salves and herbs. He scanned the shelves for a while before he picked up a small wooden jar labeled with the kanji for 'burn.' He walked back to the counter and held the jar out to the man in front of him. 

Kageyama reached for the jar, but Kei easily lifted it out of his reach before he could take it. "10 coins." He smirked.

"Fine." Kageyama grumbled as he pulled a small leather bag from his pocket, fishing out 10 silver coins before he slapped them onto the counter. 

Kei looked over the coins, humming in amusement as he nodded. "As always, I'm surprised you can count that high." 

"Go to hell!" Kageyama barked, snatching the jar from Kei's hand, turning on his heel to storm out.

"Have a nice day." Kei laughed as the door slammed shut, the bell chiming against the wood. It was almost too easy, messing with the Kageyama kid.

 

The rest of his day was uneventful, he closed up shop at sundown, then had a quiet meal of rice and salmon with his mother and brother. It wasn't until late, when they extinguished their lamps and went to bed, that Kei felt the sensation of someone watching him again. 

He kept his dagger close, paranoia setting in as he listened to the quiet chirp of crickets and the rustling of leaves in the evening wind. He kept his glasses on, staring into the darkness of the room with a hard scowl. The light from the moon shined in through the window, a blue hue dusting over the shadows of the room. He heard a soft thumping sound and got out of bed silently.

He exhaled quietly, listening for anything abnormal with his dagger in hand. The sounds of the night had silenced themselves. No wind. No insects. Eerie silence was all Kei could hear. He walked as silently as possible, though the floor creaked under his weight. 

He heard shuffling about, followed by a soft chime of the bell on the shop door. He darted out, wielding his dagger like a sword as he saw the door swing shut. He ran to the door, hearing hard, running footsteps on the dirt path. Kei darted out and chased after the shadow of of a man, dagger gripped snuggly in his palm. The shadow man ducked and turned through the streets of Karasuno, moving just barely fast enough for Kei to not gain any ground on him. It lead him in the direction of the forest, he noticed warily as they took the final turn before the forest opened up before them. 

The shadow stopped at the edge of the forest to look back at Kei suddenly, it didn't look tired at all. His eyes widened and he slowed to a stop, staring at the figure that stood before him. He had the figure of a thin man, cloaked in skin that seemed to absorb the moonlight and let off a faint glow. The creature had wide eyes that glowed yellow-green, and his skin shimmered as if it were dusted over with stars. It was absolutely beautiful.

Kei was stunned momentarily but quickly snapped out of it, raising his dagger in a defensive stance. "What are you?" He asked, taking a hesitant step forward. The creature simply smiled at him, and Kei stopped, swallowing dryly. "I asked you a question."

"You haven't changed. I've missed you a lot, you know." A small voice said, and the man stepped toward him. It was difficult to make anything out in the dark, save for his eyes and the stars on dusted over his faintly glowing skin.

"Me? Wait, how do you know me?" Kei asked, his mouth twisting in a hard frown, and his hands shook as they held the dagger up. He got closer, but Kei held his ground. He went to lift his arms with the dagger when he realized that he couldn't move at all. He felt the sensation of soft, cool hands plucking the dagger from his grip easily, as if he weren't holding it so tight that his fingers hurt. His hands dropped at his sides uselessly.

"You don't remember me?" He asked, beautiful shining eyes falling to the ground, and Kei was able to make out the outline of dark hair that fell over it's eyes. "That's alright. I have a feeling you'll remember soon." He said, walking so close that their chests almost touched.

Kei stood stunned, afraid. He wanted to bolt, but he couldn't move, and when the creature simply slipped the dagger into it's sheath at Kei's hip, he wanted to grab it up. Take the dagger and bury it to the hilt in the creature's heart, if it had one. "I don't understand." He said through clenched teeth. He glared at the shimmering creature who let out a soft musical giggle.

"It's alright." The creature said as he looked up at him. A cold hand stroked over his cheek, and sent a sharp shiver through his body. "You'll come and find me once you remember who I am."

Kei opened his mouth to say something, but the light vanished, and the star-dusted man was gone. He looked out at the woods, and all around him, listening as the night came back to life and the wind hit him in the face. He was able to move again, and took a staggering step backwards. He frowned, more confused than he could ever remember being.

He looked up at the night sky, at the stars, and frowned. "I don't understand. Who the hell..?" He grimaced and turned to walk back home, feeling the dirt under his bare feet. Kei worried his lip between his teeth and rubbed his temples, feeling the start of a headache coming on. 

Once he got home, he started a small fire and heated up some water to make himself tea. He couldn't get the star-dusted man out of his mind, and grimaced. What on earth was that? With the amount of strange things happening involving the forest, he'd never once heard anyone talk about a star-dusted man. Monsters and demons, on the other hand, appeared often enough that the only people (excluding Kei) that ventured into the forest regularly were the hunters.

He ran his hand through his hair as he pulled the tea off the fire, then poured it into a small cup. He watched the steam rise in the light of the fire, glowing a faint orange color. He sipped at the tea and sighed, feeling his body relax a little. At least the feeling of being watched was gone. Was the star-dusted man who was watching him? Had he really vanished or was he simply good at concealing himself? Kei shook his head and rubbed at his eyes under his glasses.

He really needed to clear his head and get some sleep. He lit a candle and stood up, taking his tea over to the shelves of medicines that his mother had mixed that evening. He set the candle and his tea down as he rummaged through the shelf's contents, picking up a bottle labeled with the kanji for 'sleep.' He pulled the cork out and carefully dripped a few drops of the liquid sleep into his tea before he returned the bottle to the shelf.

Kei swished the tea around to mix it up, then smirked to himself. This should be enough for him to sleep soundly through the night. He drank down the tea, and sighed, blowing out the candle and extinguishing the fire he'd used to make the tea. He padded through their house and laid down on his futon, pulling his glasses off and setting them aside. It didn't take long before his consciousness faded, and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

 

"Kei." Akiteru's voice cut through Kei's train of thought, causing him to look up at him. His brother was leaning on the counter in front of him, with a worried expression on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?" Kei asked, lifting his face out of his folded arms. 

"You've barely left the shop in 4 days. You haven't even set foot in the forest, what's up?" Akiteru said, standing up straight and crossing his arms. "Did something happen?"

Kei frowned up at his brother, leaning on his elbows. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, excuse me if I noticed you were acting differently. It isn't like you to have such a strong work ethic." He shrugged. 

Kei simply shrugged back and pushed himself off the counter, walking around to grab the straw broom from the corner. "Maybe I just feel like working, these days." He said with a sigh, he began to sweep the floor to avoid his brother's gaze.

Akiteru just sighed in exasperation. He leaned back against the counter, watching Kei sweep the floor with a contemplative expression. "You're avoiding whatever is bothering you. Maybe you should go sort these things out, hm? Maybe go to your spot in the forest before it gets too late to enjoy it. I won't tell mom."

Kei stopped, looking up at him with a surprised expression. "What? I never thought I'd hear you tell me to go to the forest. Especially since you think my dagger is an inadequate weapon." His expression twisted into a light smirk. 

Akiteru laughed lightly. "Well I am. Mom and I can handle things here for a while." 

"I don't feel like going into the forest today." Kei narrowed his eyes at his brother, then shrugged, returning his attention to haphazardly sweeping the floor. He could feel his brother's worried eyes on his back, and hated it. He hated feeling weak enough for others to worry about him.

 

It was that night that the dreams started. It started simple, small memories that weren't his filling his head. They were almost absurd enough to be a legitimate dreams; he was a monk, in a beautiful temple dedicated to some kind of ancient god. He wore big, colorful robes, and as he walked by, people bowed deeply, as if he were nobility.

The temple was located deep in the forest, and had a stone path leading from the temple, out of the forest and to a town. He knelt down before the temple and pressed his head to the floor in prayer. He was speaking in a different dialect than he recognized. And as he lifted his forehead from the floor, he was met by the image of the star-dusted man. He looked different in daylight, but he somehow knew it was still him. His skin was tan and speckled with freckles, his eyes were hazel and his hair was a dark brown color that looked messy. He simply smiled at him, that crooked smile that he'd shown him that night several days ago. 

He moved toward the star-dusted man in his kneeling position, and placed his hands on his waist. His skin was warm this time, and for some reason, his nudity wasn't something he was concerned with at all. He spoke in a low prayer, in that strange dialect again. 

"I have waited for you," He'd said, and the freckled man above him stroked his warm hands over his face with a quiet giggle. "I have waited so long.."

"Sorry, we're together now. Let's make the most of it, hm?"

 

He awoke then, sitting up and running his hands through his hair. He looked around the blurry room, knowing from the brightness that it was well past daybreak. He fumbled for his glasses, cleaning them on his tunic before he put them on. He allowed his vision to focus for a bit before he got up, putting away his bed. He had this sense of urgency that he needed to do something that he couldn't explain. 

He changed his clothes and left the shop, looking around his drab little town. There had to be somewhere he could go for answers. He took a deep breath and racked his brain for anyone he could think of that might have an idea of what the world was like before. He'd heard about the beginning, and how it had wiped out most of the world and almost everything the world had in it. Everything from before that, though, was gone, or never spoken of at least. 

Kei looked to the sky, sighing outwardly as he walked to Sawamura's farm. His family had been growing the food for this town since the beginning, so maybe he'd have an idea of the past. This feeling was like an itch he couldn't scratch; nagging, urgent, annoying. He absolutely hated it. 

He walked down the dirt roads and fumbled with the handle of his dagger as he approaches the edge of town. Kei walked up to Sawamura's door and knocked, listening for a response from within and hearing nothing. He frowned and tsked under his breath, walking around the house and to the fields where Sawamura was bound to be. He walked between the rows of wheat and vegetables, where he spotted Sugawara knelt in the dirt and digging up potatoes, putting them into a basket.

"Sugawara-san." Kei called, walking over to him. When Sugawara looked up at him, he seemed puzzled.

"Tsukishima-kun, what're you doing here?" He asked with a pleasant smile. He shielded his eyes from the sun with a dirty gloved hand as he stood up and brushed the dirt from his pants. 

"I'm looking for Sawamura-san. Do you know where he is? I have something I need to ask him." He said, awkwardly. He could see the confusion in Sugawara's face.

"Maybe I'll know the answer." He said, tilting his head with a crooked grin. Kei looked away, frowning.

"What do you know about.. You know.. before the beginning?" Kei asked. Sugawara just looked up at him with a surprised expression.

"Before the beginning? I'm afraid nobody knows much about that. Just that there was a lot that we lost, like technology and medicine." Sugawara sighed. "The beginning was more than 200 years ago, and there are no records of anything in Karasuno dating before the year 60, after the beginning. Even if Daichi's family was here since the beginning, it doesn't mean he knows anything. I think that the first generation did everything they could to erase life before that."

"Oh." Kei said lowly, unable to hide his disappointment.

"It can't hurt to ask Daichi, though I don't think it will help much, Tsukishima-kun. I'm sorry." Sugawara smiled apologetically.

"It's fine." Kei muttered, turning to walk away. "Don't bother."

"Why are you so curious about it?" Sugawara asked, and Kei stopped, looking back at him and raising an eyebrow.

"There's no reason." He grumbled, stalking back to town with his glare focused on the ground. Kei was growing restless, he needed answers. How was he even sure that that dream was even a memory? It could have been his imagination, he told himself, even if he didn't believe a word. He wasn't creative enough to create such a detailed world, with beautiful buildings and clothes and that star-dusted man.

The sun was unbearably hot, and he peeled off his shirt as he walked along the outskirts of the village, heading towards the woods. He had this instinctual pull, telling him to go there. He'd been ignoring it for days now, but it was becoming annoying how it felt like he needed to go there. The wind stopped blowing, and the calls of birds and insects silenced themselves suddenly. He felt eyes on his back and turned around quickly as paranoia returned to him and he re-approached the exact spot in which he'd encountered the star-dusted man. The man's glowing eyes flashed across his vision, bringing back the image of his round face and shimmering star-like freckles.

He walked off into the forest, following his usual route through the thick trees, despite the eerie silence that fell over the woods. The only sounds he heard were the snapping of twigs beneath his feet and the pounding of his own heartbeat. It was as if time had stopped, he couldn't see a single bird, rodent, insect or anything that could prove him wrong. He held his dagger so tightly in his palm that his knuckles turned white, his eyes focused on the surrounding area. He was ready to fight, if needed.

He walked until he reached the river, and dropped his tunic by his tree, the tree he that he usually napped under. He listened to the sound of the flowing river, grateful for some kind of noise to fill the void of silence. The humidity was murderous, making him sticky with sweat and making the river twice as inviting. It glittered in the hot morning sun, and he had half a mind to jump in. He stripped the remainder of his clothes off, dropping his dagger and glasses on top of the pile of clothes before stepping into the river.

Kei sighed, walking nude into the river and dipping himself under the water to cool off. It was soothing, the river's current washing away the sweat and the nagging feeling that he was being watched. He ran his hands through his wet hair as he broke back through the surface of the water and took a deep breath. 

He squinted at the blur of the woods around him before he walked carefully back to the shore, the slippery rocks making his footing unsteady. He lost his balance on the slick stone, plummeting forward and hitting his head on a rock on the riverbank. Pain exploded through his head, and he raised his hand up to his temple, pulling it away and seeing a red blur on the unclear image that was supposed to be his hand. His consciousness faded and he groaned, the blur of the forest becoming splotched with growing black spots. His already shitty vision faded to black and he lost consciousness completely.

 

He awoke in a dark room, looking down at his scrawny, filthy body, draped in stiff, brown fabric and a rope tied around his waist as a make-shift belt. He pushed himself to his feet, his legs burning in pain as he made his way to the metal door and started to shout. 

"You bastard! Let me out of here!" He didn't recognize the language, but he somehow understood what he was saying. There was a single torch mounted on the stone wall, bathing the room in a soft orange light. He pounded on the door with his fists, reopening the wounds on his knuckles and watching as warm blood oozed down his hands and arms. He collapsed on the ground, running bloody hands through his long hair as he let out an angry scream.

Cool arms wrapped around his body, and a gentle voice spoke into his ear. "Shh, it's ok. I've got you.. I'll get you out of here." 

"Tadashi.." He croaked out, his body trembling as he looked back and came face to face with none other than the star-dusted man. "You found me."

Tadashi smiled weakly at him, the yellow-green glow of his eyes was so comforting and the stars speckled across his nose and cheekbones glittered in the deep orange fire-light. He felt himself relax immediately and lean back into Tadashi's hold. Tadashi would get him out.

 

When his eyes opened again it was dark, and he vaguely recognized the feeling of bark digging into his bare back. 'Tadashi.' He thought, sitting up and feeling around for his glasses. He sensed movement in front him, and began to search frantically. 

"Calm down, Kei." Tadashi's voice said, and he heard feet step toward him, moving through grass. He glared forward into the blurry forest, making out only the sight of a glowing figure before him. The figure got closer and knelt before him, and Kei froze. He felt cool fingers slide his glasses into his face and looked up, once he was able to see, at the man that he learned was Tadashi.

"Who are you? Why am I connected to you?" He asked bitterly. "What are those dreams? Why are you there?" Kei growled, watching Tadashi sit back on his heels.

Tadashi simply smiled his crooked smile. He glowed faintly, his hands reaching to take Kei's, and rubbing over them with cold thumbs. "You and I have been together every time you were born. Your soul and mine have been connected for thousands of years."

"What do you mean?" Kei bit out, his brow furrowed. "How is that even possible, Tadashi?"

His eyes widened and his smile got wider. "You've remembered my name." His voice cracks as if he were about to cry. Kei just watched as the star-dusted beauty before him picked up one Kei's hands and held it to his cool cheek. "I can't tell you, I'm sorry.. you'll have to remember on your own.. that's part of our curse, Kei."

"Curse..?" Kei asked, his eyes narrowing as he stared at him. He watched as Tadashi leaned into his palm and his eyes closed, long dark eyelashes contrasting against the faint glowing of golden skin. Something in the back of his consciousness moved his thumb to brush over the stars embedded into his skin. "Tadashi.. What about a curse?"

"A curse to keep us apart.." Tadashi said softly. "It was set long ago." Glowing yellow-green eyes opened back up, and looked him over. "You need to get home.. Your family is probably worried."

"You haven't told me anything though." Kei said, surprising himself. "I.. I don't know what's going on.. I'm tired of not knowing anything!" He glared, and Tadashi smiled sadly.

"Sorry. You must find out on your own." Tadashi said 

He closed his eyes as he vanished, leaving Kei alone, basking in moonlight by the shimmering silver river. He pulled his clothes back on, unable to forget the feeling of smooth cold skin under his palm. He muttered a low curse, glaring at his own hands as he pulled on the belt that still had his dagger strapped into it's sheath. Then he stood up, looking out at the forest, fingering at the handle of his dagger. He'd never been in the woods after dark before, and had a bad feeling about making his way home.

Kei pulled his dagger from his belt and started his way through the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Kei listened carefully to the sounds of the forest, flinching at every snapping twig that echoed through the woods. There were several instances where he saw a shadow of movement either out of the corner of his eyes or ahead by several feet, and he ended up frozen, unable to move until he made sure nothing was going to attack him. The forest was much different after nightfall. It was warped, and ominous, each shadow seeming to melt into some kind of demonic monster. And here he was, armed with only a small dagger and minimal combat training. 

He couldn't tell if he was going the right way, walking uncertainly in the direction he assumed was the correct way to Karasuno. Kei fought to keep his mind rational, even as the wind groaned eerily through the trees and he heard small animals scream in agony as they were murdered. He tried not to imagine what was killing them, praying that they were only owls or snakes, and not something more deadly. 

He walked along, tripping and grabbing onto a tree for balance. Kei winced as he pulled his hand away from the tree. He flexed his hand, feeling blood slick up his fingers and he grimaced. If anything was going to attract danger it was fresh blood. He took his dagger and cut at his tunic with it, to make a bandage. He wrapped it around his hand and tied it with his uninjured hand and his teeth, hoping that it would be enough to mask the scent as he continued walking.

He saw a flicker of orange light to his left and stopped, looking in its direction. He swallowed, thankful for what he'd assumed was an oil lamp from Karasuno; a beacon to run towards. He nearly tripped several times mid-sprint, the tree roots seeming to rise from the ground for the sole purpose of tripping him (even if in his head he knew that the entire notion was completely ridiculous.) Kei was nearly there, the flicker of orange light getting closer, beckoning for him to follow it. 

Then suddenly it was gone, and the forest fell completely silent. His eyes widened in panic and he stopped, holding his breath to listen for any signs of movement. A rustling in the bushes behind him had him whipping around, holding his dagger in both hands prepared to strike whomever or whatever came at him. Out of the bushes stepped the figure of a man nearly as tall as himself, with dark hair that hung over one eye, the other one bright orange and flickering like a flame. There were several orbs of flame surrounding him in a wide circle, painting the forest in inconsistent shades of red orange and yellow. He was dressed in a pitch black cloak, trimmed with red. The man flashed a wide, sharp-toothed grin, his eye narrowing at Kei. This was no man, he was a demon. 

"Impressive blade." He sneered, taking confident strides forward as Kei stumbled backwards. "What are you doing out in the wood so late?" With a flash of movement that Kei couldn't follow with his eyes, the demon was behind him. "Not a good idea, I'm afraid." He purred, watching as Kei turned around and slashed at him with his dagger.

The demon easily ducked out of the way of the blade and Kei growled, trying to bury his blade into the demon with wide slashing movements. The demon laughed, ducking out of the way of the knife with minimal effort. Kei felt rage and hatred well up in his throat and he shouted, swinging the dagger at his throat. The demon smirked, grabbing his wrist before it made contact and twisting Kei's arm around his back painfully. He winced and groaned, feeling himself get shoved face-first into a tree. 

The hand that held him was tight, and his grip on the dagger mirrored the demon's vice-like grip. Kei felt sharp nails digging into his flesh, followed by the hot dripping of blood from his arm, soaking his back. 

"Tell me your name, won't you, beautiful?" The demon cooed as Kei felt fire licking at his wrist under the demon's palm. 

The grip was bruising, scorching, and Kei felt himself shake as pain muddled his thoughts. He let out a scream when he fought to take a breath, the scent of burning flesh and hair filling his nostrils and making him sick to his stomach. He dropped the dagger and jerked around, needing to get away, urgency replacing any other feeling he had. He somehow managed to turn around, swinging his free fist at the demon's throat, only to have something black and scaled wrap around his other arm and pin it to the tree.

"That's good, fight me." He chuckled, his voice low and dripping with venom. "Fight. Fight. Fight." He chanted, the demon's sharp teeth glinting in the light of the flames. Kei's eyes were wide with fear, as he pressed himself back painfully against the bark of the tree. He dug his foot into the dirt before he kicked at the demon with his other leg, watching as his face warped from being a mildly handsome man's, into that of a starving cat-like beast.

Kei felt himself panic, the burning becoming unbearable and a blood curdling scream leaving his throat as the demon lapped at the blood dripping down his arm. The demon grinned, and the scaled appendage gripped his arm tighter, tighter, tighter until Kei heard a loud crack that shook his body. Another scream forced it's way out, and he knew his arm was broken when the demon let out a loud, warped laughter.

'HELPMEHELPMEHELPMEHELPME' His mind screamed. He was going to die, he realized. Slowly and painfully while this demon ate him alive, watching him bleed out. 'TADASHI' 

He was crying now, his body was shaking with pain and exhaustion, his voice broken from screaming so loudly. There would be nothing left of him, he realized as the demon leaned forward, holding his face up with his free, strong hand, nails digging into his jaw. He squeaked as he felt hot blood drip from the new incisions. The demon burried his teeth into his shoulder and Kei let out a cracked groan in pain, his glasses smudged with tears and smoke. He felt the burning sensation start under the demon's other hand, scalding his face and neck.

Suddenly the demon released him with a screech, and Kei fell limply to the ground, his vision obstructed by now filthy glasses. He shook, hearing growling and hissing as whatever it was that got the demon's attention took a heavy step forward. The demon let out a strangled roar before it fell silent, and something heavy plummeted to the ground. He saw spots of white in his vision and he breathed painful breaths, feeling his consciousness start to fade. The last thing that Kei felt was cold hands cupping his cheeks before he blacked out.

 

He awoke once again in a memory that wasn't his, wearing soft leather clothing while riding on a horse's bare back. He had dark skin and he felt his long trailing hair whipping in the wind behind him as his horse ran at full speed. He was certain that this is what freedom felt like, nothing but open plains before him and the powerful animal that raced across it. 

The horse slowed to a trot and stopped, to his confusion. "What's wrong, Storm?" He asked his horse in a low voice, speaking in yet another unknown language. He hopped down and gently pet her muzzle, feeling her lean into his hand. He fished an apple from the pouch on his hip and fed it to Storm, who ate it happily. 

The wind slowed to a stop over the plains, and Storm started to stir, huffing out a sound in distress that made him worry. He took a step back and she galloped off across the plain. He took to chasing after her, but there was a lot of difference between a man at top speed, and a horse at top speed. She eventually pulled so far ahead that he no longer could see her, and he frowned. 

"Storm!!" He whistled for her to come back, but there was no response. A rustle of the dry grass behind him made him quickly pull the bow from his back and load an arrow before he turned around and saw Tadashi standing there. He lowered his bow cautiously, staring warily at him. "You're the man from the dreams." He said in realization, watching as the freckled man smiled at him. "Tadashi."

"That's right." Tadashi said in the same language, his smile gracing his lips.

"Did Storm run away because of you?" He asked, and Tadashi nodded slowly. "How can I trust you if Storm doesn't?" He asked, raising his bow nervously.

"I won't hurt you, you know that." Tadashi said, walking towards him with slow movements. He had his bow trained on the man with the freckles as he approached, and plucked the weapon from his hands, setting it on the ground as he stepped closer, closer, until their bare chests were pressed together.

"Tadashi.." He said softly, looking down at him. "We're something important to each other, aren't we?"

"Very important.." Tadashi agreed, wrapping his warm arms around his middle, and leaning his head on his chest. He took a moment just to look at him, but then wrapped his arms around his back. It was the most natural thing for him to do at that point, and it puzzled him, but something inside wouldn't let him stop. Whatever Tadashi was to him, it made his chest warm and also made him want to cry. 

 

He regained consciousness as he was being carried out of the forest. He ached all over, and vaguely wondered how he was still alive. He'd lost a lot of blood last night, he was sure of it. He should have died. He couldn't see, which meant his glasses were off and he was being held by someone who was much more muscled than he or Tadashi was. He groaned, finding that he couldn't move his left hand at all and that if he tried to move his right arm or head, he would feel a ripping, burning pain bloom across his skin.

"Hey, don't move! You're gonna bleed again!" The man carrying him said loudly. "Your shoulder is all torn up, your arm is broken and you've been burned. I'm surprised you're even awake, Tsukishima." He recognized the man's drawl as one belonging to Tanaka Ryuunosuke, the youngest of the Tanaka family, a family of hunters. 

"What happened.. why didn't I die?" He asked, his voice low and raspy. 

"Because you're a lucky bastard, that's why." Ryuu said, and even the amount of pain Kei was in didn't keep him from finding the volume of his voice annoying. "I don't know how you're still breathing, I found the corpse of a demon so whoever killed it made sure you wouldn't die before they left, it seems. The patchwork on your shoulder is probably what saved you. Stopped you from bleeding to death." He let out a frustrated sigh. "What were you doing out in the woods, anyway? Your mom had the entire town looking for you, you know."

Kei didn't answer, focusing on trying not to scream in agony with every step Ryuu took. He knew where he was taking him. Where everyone that miraculously survived a demon attack ended up. In his mother's shop. He heard Ryuu's sandals clunk on the wooden floor of the shop's porch before the familiar bell chimed, signaling that the shop door had opened.

"Coming!" He heard Akiteru's voice call from the back hall, listening as he heard bare feet walk along the floor, growing louder in volume. Kei was briefly comforted by the smell of incense when the sound of glass crashing to the floor and shattering echoed through the quiet shop. He heard Akiteru run towards him with heavy footsteps and a shout for their mother to get a table ready. "What happened?!" Akiteru shouted, and Kei flinched before letting out a soft grunt in pain, grinding his teeth together. 

"Demon attack. A fire demon by the looks of it. I can't really tell for sure but he might have cracked ribs. I know his shoulder is a complete mess, and his arm's broken too." Ryuu explained. "He's lucky he's alive."

Kei felt Ryuu start walking again and choked back a pained sob, he didn't need to see to know where they were headed. He was laid onto an uncomfortable wooden table, and he heard his mother gasp.

"Kei?!" She asked, her voice cracking. "What-"

"Demon attack. He's alive, and awake.. we need to put him under to work on him, Mom." Akiteru said. "Ryuu-kun, hold him down. We need to put him under." He listened to the sound of his brother's authoritative voice that he only took while performing difficult medical procedures. After feeling himself get a shot of something cold, he felt his consciousness fade again, this time falling into a dreamless black silence.

 

Kei opened his eyes and blinked hazily, his eyes adjusting to the brightness of the room. He groaned, feeling light headed as he sat up, seeing the blurred image of someone sitting beside his bed. He squinted, unable to figure out who it was with his blurred vision. It took all of two seconds for him to figure out who he was when he felt the person beside him hold his hand. It was like his entire body recognized him, and jolted with electricity at the touch. "Tadashi.."

"Sorry, Kei.." He answered softly. "I should have intervened sooner." Despite the fact that he couldn't see, he reached out and clumsily clasped Tadashi's shoulder. Kei could feel him stiffen under his hand, and feel his eyes on him.

"You're the one that killed that thing?" He asked, his voice more hoarse than he would have liked.

"Yeah, I had to.. I would have lost you again." Tadashi said softly, a light tremor in his voice. "Who knows how long I'd have to wait for you to come back?" Kei frowned, something inside of him ached at the sound of Tadashi's voice cracking.

"I have always come back though." Kei said softly. He squinted in Tadashi's direction, trying to see something other than a blur of color. "Hey, Tadashi, do you know where my glasses are?" He asked, frustratedly, then dropped his arm away from him to feel around the floor.   
"I don't.. Sorry." Tadashi spoke softly, and Kei eventually gave up trying to find the glasses. He flexed his arms and turned his head, waiting for pain to erupt from his body but none came. He tested it with another stretch of his arms over his head. No pain, at all. He sat in stunned silence for a long moment.

"Did you heal me?" He asked, looking back up but the blur of color was gone. He reached out, his hands meeting nothing but air as he reached for Tadashi, to no avail. "Damn it.. You're gone already.." He spat, gritting his teeth irritably before he pushed himself to his feet and dragged his hand along the wall as he made his way through his home. "Why do you always disappear before I get any answers?" He muttered. He was careful not to trip on the uneven floorboards or knock anything over as he felt his way into the main room of the shop. The smell of incense and the chiming of the bell and the gentle shut of the door was calming enough for Kei to sigh.

"Kei!" His mother's voice shrieked, and he heard her bare feet slap on the wooden floor as she rushed over to him. "How are you even up? You should be resting!" His mother's hands held his forearms carefully, as if she were afraid she'd hurt him.

"Nothing hurts. Where are my glasses, Mom?" He asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked down at the smudge of light brown that was the top of his mother's head. 

"You're.. how is this possible?! Your arm was broken in 3 places, you had charred skin..!" She asked, brushing her hands over where his wounds had been, skeptically. "Come with me, Kei." She said, and Kei knew better than to argue with her. 

He followed her, literally blindly. Kei was sat into a hard wooden chair as his mother examined his wounds, or lack-thereof. "I don't understand." She muttered. "Its as if you got these injuries months ago.. but you were brought in yesterday."

"Weird." Kei said softly. "But it doesn't hurt at all, mom."

"How?! Demon attacks are fatal, you shouldn't have even survived!" His mother sighed loudly, and leaned on his shoulder. "My boy, I'm so glad you're okay.. I just.. I've seen men dozens of times stronger than you bedridden for months with injuries like that. It doesn't make any sense."

Kei frowned, embarrassed by his mother's attention. "I really need my glasses, Mom."

"You came in without them. We'll have to get you another pair." She said, sighing as she stood up straight. "For now, can you just humor me and get back to bed? I need to make sure you're okay before you decide to go off and get yourself hurt again."

"Mom. Do you know how long getting a pair of glasses will take?" He asked, incredulously. "I'll be holed up here forever!"

"Kei, stop being melodramatic. Come on now." His mother tugged him to his feet and lead him back to his bedroom. He glared at nothing as his mother put him back into bed. "Now stop with that. You've got that nasty pride like your father, but it won't do you any good running around blind." Kei didn't need to be able to see to know that his mother was giving him that condescending expression of her's. The 'Mother Look of Death', as Akiteru called it.

He listened as his mother walked back to the storefront, and he laid back on his bed, staring up at what should have been his ceiling. Only it was just a mass of brown, splashed with light patches that he knew was sunlight pouring in from the windows. 

Kei reached his hand up and felt his shoulder. He could feel the scar indented there, where the demon had taken a huge hunk of his muscle. Then he touched his jaw, feeling the burn scar warping his neck into what he assumed was a grotesque pattern. He felt a similar bumpy texture, only much more pronounced, on his right wrist. His mouth twisted into a grimace; he had no doubt that he'd send small children running away screaming with these scars. He bet that he'd even give Kageyama a run for his money.

What a disaster this past week had been. First it had been the appearance of the star-dusted man, and now that man was somehow a part of his entire existence that he knew next to nothing about. He wanted answers, and the fact that he couldn't go looking for them was aggravating. Why did he have to loose his fucking glasses?! 

"What a load of bull." He grumbled, closing his eyes because the less he could make out, the more his head hurt. "Why am I so damn unlucky?" He rubbed his eyelids exasperatedly before he dropped his arm down at his side. 

 

The world was painted in soft lavender hues when he opened his eyes. He was laying in a bed of the softest material he'd ever felt, surrounded by beautiful white flowers and flowing water over cloud-like cliffs and stones. It took Kei a moment to realize that he'd slipped from reality into another vivid memory. He could see for one thing, and when he reached up to feel for his glasses, he froze. His skin was snow-white, and let off a faint glow that reminded him of Tadashi when he appeared after dark. 

He pushed himself up into an upright position and looked down at the shimmering, glittering form of the star-dusted beauty that was Tadashi. His other half, he realized. He reached down with his own pale, white, glowing hand and brushed his fingers over Tadashi's glowing golden skin. Tadashi rolled onto his back and looked up at him with gentle eyes, reaching up to run his finger along his jaw.

"Tsukki..?" He hummed as he sat up, running his cool fingers down his neck. The crooked smile that graced Tadashi's face was breathtaking, as was everything about him. 

"What is it?" He answered, calmly. He watched as Tadashi sat up, and leaned onto his bare chest. 

"I have a bad feeling, Tsukki.. Something isn't right." He said lowly, looking up at him. Something in Tadashi's expression made him worry.

"About?" He prodded, raising an eyebrow. He hesitated, something that Tadashi rarely did. They'd been together for as long as either of them could remember.

Tadashi sighed. "I just feel like things are going to change. And there's nothing we can do to stop it."

He stroked Tadashi's face with his knuckles, admiring the shining stars on his high cheekbones. "We can handle whatever change occurs."

The world faded from that cool, comfortable, pale lavender, to pitch black. He was no longer in bed, no longer beside Tadashi. He was standing in a nothingness, so dark that he couldn't even see himself when he lifted his arms. He could feel the memory shift from one to another, mentally preparing himself for whatever horror he felt coming towards him. 

He then felt the sensation of choking, large and powerful hands(claws?) wrapping around his neck. The sudden sight of 5 burning emerald eyes filled his vision and he heard a low warbling whisper of an incoherent language that even his dream self couldn't recognize. It was massive, a slimy creature with loose skin and an impressive underbite. It had multiple limbs and a billowing membrane under it's throat. The light bursting forth from it's eyes casted an eerie glow to the world around them. They were in a rocky cave, huge and expansive, but he had no idea which way the exit was. He hissed, grabbing at the monster looming over him to try to free himself of the huge claws around his throat, but his hands slipped against its nasty, gooey skin. He felt his strength diminishing, and felt like something was being drained from his body. The grumbling murmur of unknown monster language stopped. Then, suddenly, he was being dangled in the air above a hole that had a faint blue glow the size of a speck in it's depths. He gripped at slippery, disgusting skin, fear welling in his throat before he was shaken and dropped.

Silence washed over him as he fell through the darkness. He burst through a wall of thin, shimmering blue crystal into a world of light, this new world around him completely dry and hot. He landed face first into a pile of yellow sand. He pushed himself to his feet, coughing and splitting out sand as hot wind whipped his face and he felt the sun burning down on him, as if it were trying to roast him alive. 

He squinted against the harsh wind, looking around himself for something, anything that wasn't the huge sea of sand around him. He'd never seen this place before, nothing but a desert wasteland stretching in every direction. He was completely naked, and exposed to the elements, his feet burning underneath him against the hot sand. He looked to the sky for answers. 

"TADASHI!!!" He shouted, though he doubted he could hear him, wherever he was. He'd lost the stars, his sky, with whom he'd been so connected to for so long. He coughed into the dry air, quickly feeling his body weaken and his mouth dry out. He looked down at himself, his skin was no longer white, but flushed an angry red under the burning sun and blistering in disgusting shining bubbles along his arms, shoulders and chest. He turned his back to the wind and hissed, the tiny grains of sand hitting his burning skin like needles.

He attempted to stop the wind, closing his eyes as he tried to conjure up the magic to do so. Nothing was happening. He tried to draw in the energy from the earth, from the wind, from himself, but absolutely nothing happened. He opened his eyes when he felt Tadashi's presence, and looked behind him. 

The sun was setting and the world was starting to be painted a burning orange with blue shadows as the sky changed colors. His eyes finally found Tadashi who looked like hell. His glowing golden skin did nothing to hide the fact that he'd been crying, his normally shaggy hair was in a disarray as if he'd raked his fingers through it too many times, and his eyes were wide with worry and fear. He ran up to Tadashi, even if his body was suddenly aching and weak and hard to maneuver. 

"Tadashi, are you alright?" He asked, though his voice didn't leave his throat as anything but a hoarse whisper.

"What happened to you, Tsukki?" Tadashi asked. "I couldn't find you for days, and the moon's been getting smaller."

"What do you mean, getting smaller?" He froze, his eyes widening. He was surprised that Tadashi could even hear him, as he stepped closer on now shaking legs. The world darkened around them and his body no longer glowed the way Tadashi's did. Something was indeed, very wrong.

"It's farther away, and it's getting less circular." His other half spoke, his voice trembling as he took his face into his cold hands. "Something is wrong.."

Tadashi's hands moved down his neck to his shoulders, and he winced, feeling pain blossom under his touches and a rip of flesh as a blister burst open under the gentle touch. He let out a harsh shout in agony as he grabbed Tadashi's wrists and held back his hands. "T-That.. hurt." He said shakily, and suddenly he felt like he understood what'd happened. He'd been turned human.

 

Kei sat up suddenly, his eyes wide as he looked out into the blurred darkness. His room, his home. The faint smell of incense providing little comfort to the thirst he felt. He reached frantically, trying to find something, anything within arm's reach to drink.

"Kei?" His brother's voice called from the futon beside his. "Kei, what's wrong? Calm down." He felt his brothers hands on his arms, and jerked away from his touch. He could still feel the blistering sunburn from that horrid memory.

"Water, Akiteru-nii! I... I need water. Please.." He croaked, feeling his hands shake and trying to swallow against the dryness of his throat. He heard his brother stand and rush off into the other room as the realization that he was once something much greater than the son of a family of apothecaries set in. He'd been immortal; he'd been the moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's part 2! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Kei's eyes opened slowly, and they locked with beautiful, glowing, yellow-green ones. Tadashi smiled lightly at him and sat back as Kei sat up. Kei stared at him, his emotions conflicting one another. Tadashi vanished just as he opened his mouth to ask him about the dreams that'd been occurring practically non-stop for the past 3 days and nights. Frustrated, he scowled into the dark as the first signs of daylight shined in through the window at the far end of the room. Tadashi always disappeared before he could ask him anything substantial. 

His brother was asleep in the futon beside him and was drooling all over his pillow, and Kei grimaced in disgust. It took Kei a total of 10 seconds before he noticed that this was the first time that he could see since that demon attacked him in the woods. He lifted his hands to his face and felt the cool metal frame of his glasses, smiling lightly to himself. He stood up and quietly walked out of the room so he wouldn't wake up his brother. However, he was immediately met by his mother who had been on her way out to take care of her garden.

"Kei? What are you doing up? Where did those come from?" She asked, putting down her basket she used to carry things to and from the garden in favor of examining her son. She reached for his glasses and Kei backed up, frowning at her. 

"Who cares where they came from? I can see now, I'm not hurt. I want to get out of here, I feel like I've been holed up for weeks." Kei grumbled, receiving the signature 'Mother Look of Death' from the short woman in front of him. 

"Let me see your glasses, Kei. I need to make sure they're not damaged." She raised her voice slightly and held her hand out, expectantly. 

Reluctantly, he handed her the glasses and waited in a blurred silence as she looked them over. He was getting restless, shifting his weight from one foot to the other before she handed them back and he put them back on.

"Better now?" He asked, once his vision focused, watching her nod to him.

"I still think you should rest more." She said, and Kei rolled his eyes. She'd examined him at least 4 times a day since he'd gotten injured, and the lack of movement was driving him crazy. He had things to figure out and couldn't wait around anymore or he'd turn to lunacy.

"I'm fine, mom." Kei grumbled, crossing his arms. She was eyeing his scars nervously before she reluctantly nodded to him.

"Fine, then. Bathe before you leave, though." She said, turning on her heel to walk out their rickety back door, to the garden. 

Kei sighed with a frown, walking back into his room to get a change of clothes before he headed into their water room. They were the only residents of Karasuno, asside from the Tanaka family, with their own water room. It was necessary since his family was the only medical personnel in town. The Tanaka family shared their water room with the other hunters in town. The rest of Karasuno shared the water house in the center of town, where there were bath rooms and places to draw water for drinking and cooking.

Their water room was a small room, only around 8ft between any of the four walls. The room had small windows up near the ceiling and a concrete floor, with a manual pump to get water from deep underground. There was a small drain in the center of the floor. Even in the heat of summer, the room stayed cool, and surprisingly dry. 

Kei dragged a wooden tub over to the water spout in the center of the room before he started to pump the lever, watching as the tub filled with cold water. Once it was sufficiently filled, he removed the bed-clothes he'd been wearing, stepped into the short tub and began to scrub himself clean with scentless soap and a rough bristled brush. He scrubbed himself until his skin was pink and the water he was standing in was murky brown and disgusting. He stepped out and dumped the water before he pumped more into the tub and dumped it over himself to rinse away the soap. 

He sighed comfortably after he dressed himself in a fresh tunic and shorts, and left the room. Kei went to his room and pulled on his leather shoes and belt. He noticed the empty sheath where his dagger was supposed to be, and scowled, his gaze shifting to his nasty burn scar on his wrist. His dagger was probably still somewhere deep in the forest, where the demon had attacked him, the scar really was hideous, though. He tore the sleeve off of one of his longer-sleeved tunics and pulled the fabric over the scar. He frowned, the sleeve easily falling away from his hideous scar before he bit out a curse. Kei got to his feet and went into the storefront, where he taped his arm up to hide the ugly, disfigured skin. Once he was satisfied with his work on his arm, he left the shop and made his way down the dusty, dirt roads of the small town.

For a lack of better ideas of where to go, or what to do, he headed back to Sawamura's farm. As he passed by people in the street that stared at the ugly scar on his neck, he felt slightly uncomfortable, even if he didn't show it. He walked back up to Sawamura's door for the second time that week, and he knocked on the door, harder than he'd intended. This time, he heard clattering coming from inside, and heavy footsteps coming to the door. Kei almost smirked when he saw Sawamura Daichi open the door, looking slightly disheveled. His tanned skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat, and his clothes were heavily wrinkled.

"Tsukishima?" He asked, coughing when his voice squeaked. "Uh.. C-Can I help you?"

"Are you busy with Sugawara?" Kei asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively. The expression that washed over Sawamura's face was one of pure terror and Kei almost wanted to laugh at how pitifully obvious the situation was.

"No, um.. we're not busy. C-come in." Sawamura said, stepping out of the way so he could let him in. "Do you want to speak with both of us?" He asked.

Kei nodded. "If you don't mind.."

Sawamura nodded as Kei pulled his shoes off. He lead the younger man to a sitting room, with a low table and several cushions scattered around it. "Have a seat, I'll get Suga." 

"Thank you, Sawamura-san." Kei bowed politely before he turned and sat on one of the cushions around the table. He listened to Sawamura's retreating footsteps, with a slight smile. Sugawara and Sawamura's relationship was intimate, though most of the people in Karasuno didn't pick up on it. Kei was an exception though, as he was quiet and observant(and had a decent amount of common sense).

He ran his hand along the smooth tabletop, listening to the sounds of pleasant conversation in the back of the house. It wasn't much longer before Sugawara and Sawamura returned to the room, each taking their own seat on their respective cushions, purposely spitting a minimum of 3ft apart. Kei raised an eyebrow, eyeing Sugawara's ash blonde bed hair amusedly.

"I feel like I've interrupted something." Kei mused, watching as the two older men exchanged a glance with flushed faces. 

"A-Anyway, Tsukishima-kun.. What did you want to talk about?" Sugawara started, flashing a nervous smile. 

Kei stopped, closing his eyes. What had he wanted to ask about? He grimaced, feeling embarrassment eat at the back of his mind. "Um.. it's about the past, I guess." He grumbled. "I'm sure you heard of what happened to me in the forest."

Sawamura nodded. "Now that you mention that, I'm surprised you're here. Tanaka mentioned that you were in rough shape."

"I'm fine now." Kei quipped. "I'd have come here sooner but I didn't have my glasses until this morning." He pushed his glasses up on his nose as if to emphasize his point. "What do you know about rebirth?"

"Does this have something to do with what you asked me the other day?" Sugawara asked, raising an eyebrow as he leaned his chin into his palm.

"Sort of.." Kei muttered. 

"By rebirth, you mean reincarnation, right?" Sawamura asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he looked to the ceiling in thought. "It's something that not everyone believes in, but there's nothing saying it isn't real."

"What about memories? Ones that aren't yours?" Kei asked, raising an eyebrow. "If reincarnation exists, is it possible for someone to remember things from their past lives?"

"Tsukishima-kun, what's all this about?" Sugawara spoke up, worriedly. "Ordinarily, the entire idea of being reborn would just make you roll your eyes. What's gotten you so desperate for answers?"

Kei frowned, feeling his face flush with embarrassment at the realization that he was, in fact, acting tactlessly. "I uh.. I'm remembering things that never happened in my lifetime. I know it sounds crazy, alright?"

"Not crazy." Sugawara smiled. "Just different. Is that why you were asking about the world pre-beginning?"

"Yeah." Kei grumbled, looking at his lap. "I met.. someone, and now I'm remembering all kinds of things involving him from.. much earlier than the beginning."

"Met someone?" Sawamura asked, his eyebrows raising. "There's nobody in town that doesn't already know everyone else, and we haven't gotten a traveler in months. How could you have met someone?"

Kei pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, he's a man that can come and go as he pleases. I have seen him appear from thin air, only to avoid answering any of my questions by vanishing the same way! He's the reason I'm here right now, he killed the demon that was supposed to kill me, he healed my injuries, and he's in every one of the memories I've had!" He was almost shouting by this point. "I just want to know why I'm having visions of the past! Why am I connected to this guy?!"

Sugawara blinked, wide eyed at him. "Healed your injuries?" 

Kei frowned and unwrapped his arm, revealing his hideous burn scar to the men in front of him. "I got these 4 nights ago, when I was attacked by a demon in the forest." He pulled the neck of his tunic down to show them the large, indented bite scar on his shoulder. 

"Yikes." Sawamura said, staring at the scars. 

"It sounds to me like you've encountered your soul mate." Sugawara said carefully. "Except, yours doesn't seem to be.. You know, human."

Kei nodded. "I know he's not human, Tadashi is the stars, or something." He explained, feeling like the more he talked, the crazier he sounded. "I'm not supposed to be human either! I'm the moon, I was with my stars for thousands of years before.. oh my God, I sound insane." Kei groaned, leaning his head on the table.

"Tsukishima," Sawamura leaned over and placed his hand on Kei's shoulder. "I don't think you're insane, and neither does Suga."

Kei looked up, seeing the two men smiling gently at him, in an almost parental way. "Having a deep connection with someone is special. It doesn't make you crazy, alright?" Sugawara said, reassuringly.

"You know, It sort of makes sense, now that you mention it." Sawamura said with a nod. "The ever-changing moon, and the permanence of the stars. You're constantly changing, but this Tadashi, he's the same in every memory, right?"

Sugawara smiled. "It sounds romantic, actually. Finding each other in every life, rediscovering your history together." He sighed, dreamily. 

"It's more confusing than anything." Kei interrupted, frowning. 

"I suppose you would think that way." Sugawara chuckled. "However, if a bond is as strong as yours is with Tadashi, things will sort themselves out over time, I think." Kei didn't miss the affectionate expression Sugawara sent in Sawamura's direction.

"Are you two soul mates?" Kei asked, sitting up more and watching as the men in front of him sputtered embarrassedly and flushed several shades of red as they avoided looking at each other. He couldn't help the slight smirk that graced his lips. "Don't worry, I'm probably the only one that's noticed your relationship, Sawamura-san, Sugawara-san."

"I don't know about soul mates.." Sugawara spoke up, his voice a little nervous.

"Thank you for your time, I'm sorry for intruding." Kei said, bowing to them. "I'll keep your relationship to myself, so please don't repeat our conversation to anyone else."

"Very well, Tsukishima." Sawamura said, rubbing his neck as Kei stood up.

"I'll see myself out." Kei said lowly. "I might come back if I have any more questions regarding this."

Sugawara stood up and pat Kei roughly on the back, surprising him with the sheer strength behind it. "We'll do what we can to help, Tsukishima-kun." He said with a wide grin.

"Thanks.." He muttered awkwardly and he took his leave, pulling on his leather shoes as he left the couple to do whatever they did when they were alone.

 

It was mid-day before Kei approached the edge of the forest. He looked up at the expanse of the trees and frowned; the forest loomed over him, it's lush greenery was for once not inviting. It was actually the farthest thing from inviting. It was haunting, ominous, and threatening. Despite the negative effects it had on his nerves, Kei had practically ruled out every other way of getting a chance to talk to Tadashi before nightfall. He'd gotten himself another dagger and now also had a bow that he vaguely knew how to use, so he was better armed than usual. 

Just as he'd resolved to actually set foot into the foreboding green forest, he was interrupted by the shrill shout of "HEY TSUKISHIMA!!" from the incredibly loud, yet incredibly small Hinata Shouyou. He jolted and glared down at the tiny, orange haired man. He'd successfully avoided running into him for the past 2 weeks (granted the past 4 days he'd been bedridden) and was a little frustrated that he'd let his guard down long enough to have been spotted.

"What?" He sneered, turning to face the smaller man. 

"I was just wondering if you were ok, I mean.. Tanaka and Noya said you were hurt pretty bad." Hinata pouted as he crossed his arms. 

"I'm fine." Kei sighed. "You and everyone else are such badgers about this."

"Are you going hunting or something?" He asked, bouncing on his heels as he looked over his new weapons. "I didn't think you hunted."

"I don't." Kei grumbled. "They're for self-defense, idiot. I was almost killed by a demon last time I was in the forest." 

"A-A demon?" Hinata stammered, jumping back a bit as he looked at the forest warily. "And you're going back in there?!"

"I need to find.. Something." He frowned. "I can't find him in town."

"Him?" Hinata's head tipped to one side. "Who's him?"

"None of your business." Kei hissed, glaring at him. "If you tell anyone I'm going in there, I swear, I'll gut you alive." He leaned over him menacingly.

Hinata yelped and shrank back a bit. "Okay, okay! Geez, Tsukishima!! I won't tell anyone!"

"Good." He smirked darkly. "Now run along, shorty."

"Fine. I need to find Natsu, anyway." Hinata huffed with an indignant pout. "And to think I was worried about you." He said as he ran off, and Kei stalked into the forest with a strange sort of confidence that probably was caused by his irritation with Hinata's questions.

Within minutes, he was making his way down his usual path through the forest, listening to the calls of birds and the rustling of the leaves in the gentle wind. If it weren't for the rising paranoia, Kei would have felt completely at home. Unfortunately, every unexpected movement sent a surge of panic through Kei's bones and a flash of the demon's hungry face in his memory. He scowled, and fought to keep his heartbeat calm, there was nothing dangerous here. It wasn't long before he reached the river, looking out at the wide expanse of water. Kei sat down at the edge of the riverbank, and crossed his legs, taking in a deep breath as he fought to keep himself relaxed. He'd been here countless times over the course of his 19 years, there was no reason for him to be panicking.

"Tadashi." He said softly. "I want to talk to you." Kei looked up at the sky which was overcast with a blanket of white clouds. He felt a cool, comfortable breeze blow off the river and caress his face. It reminded him of Tadashi's cool skin, and he frowned. He closed his eyes and ducked his head down, trying to reach out to him with his mind, even though he had no idea what he was doing. He felt ridiculous.

Silence washed over the forest and Kei had his hands rested on his lap as he listened carefully, breathing in steady breaths. When his eyes opened, he saw tanned feet standing in the river just a couple of feet before him, and looked up, following the familiar shape of lanky legs and a thin body until his eyes locked on Tadashi's kind, hazel ones.

"Hello, Kei." He said, and Kei pushed himself to his feet, unable to turn away. All of those memories were fresh in Kei's mind, muddling his emotions. 

"Tadashi.. You won't disappear this time, right? I just.. I want to talk." He said softly, blushing embarrassedly. "I think I pieced together what we once were, and what we are now.. I also wanted to thank you for giving me back my glasses."

Tadashi just looked at him and nodded, his mouth turning up in a nervous smile. "Yeah, let's talk, Tsu-I-I mean, Kei." Even his voice was exactly the same as in the memories, and Kei swallowed. 

"You can call me Tsukki, if you'd like. I mean.. that's who I was to you first." He shrugged, smirking to hide his nervousness as he sat down under his shady tree, even if the shade wasn't necessary with the lack of sunshine.

"Thank you." Tadashi said with a sweet smile as he sat beside him. "You've gotten new weapons." 

"I have. I need to be better prepared to fight demons, should they attack." Kei explained. "I'm not sure even you could save me, should it happen again."

"I see." Tadashi hugged his knees to his chest, looking down at the grass at his feet. Kei just watched him and thought that he was incredibly beautiful, his round face dusted over with freckles in the daylight.

"You are.. the stars, right?" Kei asked. "And I was the moon?"

Tadashi turned to face Kei. "You still are the moon, or the spirit of it. That's why the moon is inconsistent, because you're constantly changing." The man sighed, frowning. "It used to be larger, brighter.. constant."

"So you're the spirit of the stars, then?" Kei asked, raising his brow at Tadashi, who nodded slowly. "And because of our curse, the moon is no longer constant, while the stars are."

"Tsukki.." Tadashi's voice cracked, drawing Kei's attention to him. "Tsukki, do you remember our bond?"

Kei swallowed, and nodded slowly. "I do."

"We were always together, Tsukki. We had a world of our own.. before.." Tadashi trailed off, and Kei caught sight of a shimmering silver tear rolling down his cheek.

"Before that monster thing attacked me." Kei finished, wiping the tear away on instinct, watching as Tadashi's face lit up in a bright smile. 

"That's right." He said. "But you've remembered me every time you've come back, so long as I didn't try to rush the memories." Tadashi leaned onto Kei's shoulder, and Kei was stunned still for a moment as he watched hazel eyes flutter closed and the round face nuzzle into his shoulder.

"That's why you couldn't tell me anything?" Kei asked, his voice cracking nervously.

"Yes." Tadashi giggled. "You haven't remembered everything yet, but it's alright. Your life is short.. I want to be with you before it's over."

"I guess all human life is short to you." He said, smirking lightly as Tadashi nodded. The freckled man stopped talking after that, and simply hummed an old tune that Kei vaguely remembered from many lifetimes ago. He relaxed, feeling Tadashi's fingers entwine with his own as the tune lulled him into a dream-like trance.

 

He was a young boy, he soon realized. He wore a white shirt with flowing sleeves and a green vest that matched his pants, which were tucked into leather boots. He was holding an instrument of sorts, staring at thin sheets of paper held up on a wooden stand in front of him. It took a few moments for the proper words to come back to him. Violin. Music. He was playing music.

He moved his bow over the strings of his violin, his eyes following the sheet music expertly. He'd been doing this since he was little, obviously. The music sounded beautifully through the garden, filled with fragrant flowers and white statues of angelic looking beings. There were birds splashing and playing in a bird bath that was made of the same white stone as the statues, and he played and played his music until his sheet music ended and he lowered his bow. 

He turned and put his violin in its case, the beautiful instrument protected by a soft red fabric that lined the case. As he shut the case, he heard the birds flee, and turned back, to see Tadashi standing there. The man smiled gently at him.

"You play beautifully." Tadashi said, this language yet another different one.

"Thank you, dream man." He'd replied, obviously unafraid of him. "I haven't seen you in a while."

 

When Kei came back to reality, he turned to look at Tadashi, only to find that he was gone once again. He stood up and sighed. "You always disappear so suddenly." He mumbled, rubbing his neck as he turned to make his way back to Karasuno. He had no idea how long he'd been with Tadashi, nor did he really care. Now that he'd seen him, he was leaving the forest. 

He walked along his usual path, when suddenly he heard a loud scream echoing through the woods. His eyes widened and he listened to the sounds of birds retreating, looking around him as the shriek sounded again. Kei grabbed his bow and an arrow, running towards the sound. He knew that this was probably one of the most ludicrous ideas he'd ever had, but if he could get there in time, he might be able to save someone. 'I guess I have more of my mother in me than I thought.' He thought, frowning as he approached a small clearing in the forest where he saw a lizard-like beast circling a young girl with bright orange hair. It took him all of 2 seconds to piece together that the girl was Hinata Natsu.

"Tadashi." He whispered, shakily. "I might need your help." 

He loaded his bow and stepped closer to the edge of the clearing, training his arrow on the monster. He took a deep breath, hoping that one of his past memories would help him with this shot. He pulled back on the bow, arrow level with his eye before he felt Tadashi's presence. He guided his hands so the arrow was steady as he released it. The arrow whizzed forward and embedded itself in the monster's neck, forcing the beast to let out a roar and Natsu to cower down with her own equally loud screech. It swiped at her with it's large claw and turned towards Kei. He loaded another arrow, fueled by only adrenaline and fear at this point as he shot the monster again, this time the arrow hit square between its red eyes, sending it backward so it landed on it's back. It forced the first arrow all the way through it's neck and it oozed thick black blood as Natsu shook in fear. Kei turned back just as Tadashi disappeared with a gentle smile.

Kei gulped before he ran out and knelt down in front of the 11 year old girl. "Are you hurt?" He asked, setting his bow down. The monster's blood reeked of rotting fish and mildew, and Kei felt like he'd vomit if they stayed there for too long.

"I-It scratched me." Natsu said taking her trembling hand off of a wide gash in her forearm. 

Kei nodded and took his dagger to his tunic and tore off a long strip before he wrapped her arm tightly. "This will hold until we get you to my mother's shop, alright?"

"T-Thank you." She said, trembling. "What happened to your friend?"

"My friend?" Kei asked.

"The one that helped you kill that." Natsu said as she pointed to the monster. "I saw him."

"He went home." Kei said softly. "Come on, your brother was worried about you, and we need to make sure you don't get infected." He lead Natsu out of the forest by her uninjured arm, and smiled inwardly to himself. 'Thank you, Tadashi.'

 

Hinata Shouyou bursted through the shop door before running past Kei into the back room where Kei's mother was finishing up the bandage on Natsu's arm. Kei followed him and held him back by the shirt collar so he didn't run into the room and mess up anything.

"Gah! Let me go!" Hinata squawked, fighting against Kei's grip. 

"Wait out here." Kei sighed. "My mom's not finished." 

Hinata looked up at Kei before he turned back to Natsu with a frown. "You saved her, right? I heard from Noya."

"Yeah.. but I had a little help." Kei muttered with a frown.

"Thanks, and tell your friend that I said thank you, too." Hinata said. Kei looked down at him with a surprised expression but nodded slowly and Hinata grinned up at Kei, putting his hands on his hips. 

"Yeah, sure." Kei grumbled, looking away from him. The sun was starting to set and he could smell Akiteru cooking up a stew, likely enough for Hinata and Natsu to eat as well. He walked out to the porch and stared up at the sky. The clouds were starting to dissipate and he could see the faint sparkle of stars starting to show. He vaguely wondered what Tadashi looked like at sunset, and hoped that he'd be able to see that soon. Behind him he overheard Hinata and Natsu's reunion, consisting of loud shouts of "are you ok?", "nii-chan!", and a bunch of incoherent sobs. He rolled his eyes, resolving to stay out here until his brother called for dinner. He knew for a fact it'd be quieter.


	4. Chapter 4

The city streets were barren, and all of the buildings that he could see were boarded up over the windows and doors. He clutched his rifle in his hands as he jogged around the alleys, doing his best to keep hidden from the fighter planes overhead. He could hear the whistle as bombs fell through the air and felt the tremors of the earth below him as each one made impact. He could hear the agony and terror from men and women that had hidden from the ongoing attack as they were crushed by debris from collapsing buildings or had body parts blown off from each explosion. His stomach churned unpleasantly, but by this point it felt almost normal. 

He'd almost went right by a child who was hiding in a little hole in the side of a building, and rushed over to where he was. He couldn't have been older than 5 years old, looking out at him with wide eyes and fear etched into every line of his face. "What are you doing here, lad?" He asked, trying to keep the urgency from his voice as he spoke to the child. "You need to get to a shelter."

"M-My mum said to stay hidden, sir." His voice trembled as he spoke to him. 

He motioned for him to come out. "Come with me, I'll get you somewhere safe. Its dangerous here." He said over the sounds of approaching fighter planes that would surely spot them if they stuck around much longer. 

The boy scrambled out as he slinged his rifle onto his back. He lifted him into his arms and took off on a run through the alleyways, listening as a whistling bomb fell through the sky. The ground shook violently under them and he fought to keep his balance as he approached a small bombshelter and pounded on the door loudly with his fist.

"BRITISH MILITARY! I HAVE A CHILD OUT HERE, OPEN UP!" He barked, listening to the sounds of panic coming from inside as the locks opened up slowly. The door opened after several long moments, and he practically shoved the child into a woman's arms. "Take care of him." He said lowly, before he ran off through the streets to advert the fighter plane's attention from the shelter. He knew that it would probably only be able to withstand so much before it collapsed. 

The ground shook violently under him and as a building to his left was hit with one of the whistling terrors. The impact sent him toppling over himself and landing ungracefully onto his face, scraping up his cheek on the street and getting a mouth full of dirt. He pushed himself up as a fire-like pain shot through his shoulder. He ran and ran until he forced himself into a church, though he knew he wouldn't be safe there for long. It was already in ruins. 

His entire body racked with tremors as he listened to the terror that was happening all around him. A bomb whistled overhead and hit the opposite side of the church, making what was left of the once-sacred building shake and fall apart. His legs were crushed under a pile of bricks that fell from overhead and he let out an agonizing scream. 

Then Tadashi appeared before him. He hadn't seen him since before the air raid, and for some reason his presence calmed the pain shooting through his lower body, even as the smell of metal filled the air. He knew he was bleeding, and his vision became unfocused.

"T-Tadashi.." He croaked brokenly, reaching with a trembling hand toward him. The freckled being rushed to him and took his hand, careful not to inflict any pain on him.

"Shh.." He whispered, stroking his cheek with a warm comforting hand as he kissed away falling tears. "It'll be over soon."

"T-Tadashi.. Tadashi.." He sobbed out. "I don't want to die.." He begged him, and Tadashi nodded slowly. 

"We'll meet again in the next life.." He said, tears in his eyes and voice trembling as he pressed another kiss to his forehead. "I promise." 

"I'll wait for you." He said breathlessly before the world around him faded to black.

 

Kei opened his eyes and gasped, clutching his chest as he fought off the pain of the last memory. Tears were falling freely from his eyes and he sat up, shaking as he reached clumsily for his glasses. Once they were on he could see his body trembling and he could see that his legs were not crushed under rubble. His heavy breathing and sobbing was enough to wake his brother up, who rushed to his side.

"Kei, are you alright?" He asked, wrapping an arm around him like he'd done when he'd had nightmares as a child. He couldn't answer him, and leaned into his older brother as he slowly felt his heart calming down and the fear and pain from the memory fade.

"I-I'm fine." He said eventually. 

"I haven't seen you wake up from a nightmare that bad since you were a baby." Akiteru said, rubbing soothing circles into Kei's back.

Kei pushed himself away from his brother, and leaned his head into his palms. "I'm going for a walk, nii-san." He said with a sigh.

"Don't wander into the forest, Kei. It's still dark." His brother said firmly. 

"I won't, ok?" Kei snapped as he pushed himself up and left the room. He could feel his brother's worried eyes on his back, and glared at the floor. He felt weak, and it was driving him crazy. 

He walked out of his mother's shop without pulling on his shoes, feeling the cool dirt of the road under his feet. Kei felt the cool night wind blow, the gentle breeze starting to work away the pain and panic from that last memory. They've started becoming more frequent, no longer solely occurring while he was asleep. Sometimes he'd blank out for upto an hour in the middle of broad daylight. People around the village had started to notice, his family started to notice. The looks he received were similar to those of pity, worry, and fear. Like they never knew if one day, he'd just snap and slit everyone's throats. He felt pathetic.

"Tsukki." Tadashi's quiet voice spoke through the night, and Kei followed the call. He listened as his voice called for him, over and over, leading him through the streets of the silent town until he reached the fields near Sawamura's farm. The half-moon overhead was casting a faint blueish light over the expansive field of grass that shifted in the gentle night breeze. "Tsukki." The voice whispered from behind him, and Kei turned to face the golden form of Tadashi, the stars across his cheekbones glimmering hypnotically. 

"Tadashi.." Kei said softly, just to say his name. He took the beautiful face into his hands, brushing his thumbs over the glittering stars as the yellow-green glow of his eyes locked with his own. He leaned his forehead against his, sighing comfortably when Tadashi's cool hands ran down his neck. "It's getting painful.. the more I remember, the more I want to stay with you."

"I'm always with you." Is the quiet reply that comes from Tadashi's pretty lips. "Whenever you want me, I'll come to you."

"I can't call you in daylight.. the villagers already think I'm crazy." Kei said bitterly. "The memories are coming more often."

"Sorry, Tsukki." The spirit's knuckles brushed gently over his cheek. "Unfortunately, they'll keep coming."

"I figured as much." Kei let out a humorless chuckle. "I am not lucky enough to just learn everything at one time."

"That'd be even more painful.. You probably wouldn't survive the agony of that." Tadashi spoke carefully, and Kei nodded slowly in acknowledgement. "Why don't you just stay out here with me until daybreak?"

"That.. Y-Yeah, okay.." Kei spoke softly, watching as Tadashi's lips curled into a small smile. He leaned up and pressed his lips to his cheek lovingly, and Kei closed his eyes. Something about Tadashi's affection had a calming effect on Kei that he couldn't quite understand. Not that he minded, the comfort washed away any pain from the memories that may still be lingering in his nerves. 

Tadashi took him by the hand and lead him out into the field of tall grass that tickled his legs as they moved through it. Kei followed him, well past the farthest edge of Sawamura's farm. He felt no fear, even as his mind opened small bits of memory that flashed over his field of vision. Small flashes of sensations ignited his nerves; of warmth, of lingering touches, of heartache, of pain, of pleasure. It was both beautiful, and heartbreaking, and Kei felt tears slip from his eyes without his permission.

He followed Tadashi up a hill in the dark, it wasn't until they reached the top that Kei became frozen. He'd never been this far from his little village before, so it was a given that he'd never realize that they were so close to a cliff, overlooking a wide valley. In the dark he could make out the massive expanse that was the forest of Karasuno, that was sliced down the middle by a thread of silver, which Kei knew was the river. The stars expanded endlessly over the horizon, shining brightly as far as the eye could see, and fading only a little where they were scattered near the pale light emitted from the moon.

"Whoa.." Kei breathed, and he could tell that Tadashi had smiled without looking at him.

"Yeah.. the night is the most beautiful when we're together." The star-dusted man said wistfully, leaning into Kei's side. "The moon was once three times it's size, and was always full. I wish you could see it how it was; it was hundreds of thousands of years ago. Even to me, it's a distant memory."

Kei turned to the man beside him, the stars dusted over his skin were shining brilliantly and the faint golden glow drew his hand in. As his fingers brushed over Tadashi's collarbone, his fingertips let off a faint white glow. He pulled his hand back nervously, watching as the glow faded away.

"Tsukki, you're still the spirit of the moon, even if you're weakened." Tadashi said, making eye contact with Kei. 

"Yeah.." Kei agreed with a slow nod, reaching out and stroking Tadashi's cheek and watching as his skin glowed white at the contact. "This is unreal.." He said nervously.

Tadashi laughed, a light and musical sound that made Kei's cheeks flush pink. "If you think about it, this entire thing is unreal, from your perspective." 

"That's true." Kei scoffed, rolling his eyes. Tadashi pulled away to sit on the ground, and Kei sat beside him, both looking out at the beautiful scene before them. The cool night breeze hit Kei in the face as Tadashi stroked his fingers in random patterns over Kei's hand. He looked down, watching the glowing patterns ignite on his skin and disappear without a trace. "Is this new for you as well?" Kei asked.

"Yeah." Tadashi spoke quietly. "Your skin doesn't usually respond this way." He traced the character for 'moon' on the back of his hand, and watched it fade.

"I wonder what it means." Kei said softly, and Tadashi nodded, looking up at him.

"I wonder about that, too." He leaned in, and pressed a light kiss to the corner of Kei's lips.

Kei blushed brightly and jolted away from Tadashi with wide eyes. "What the hell was that?!" He snapped, he wasn't angry, not really. He was just surprised, but he shot an irritated expression towards Tadashi in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

"Oh." Tadashi said softly, looking at the ground. "Sorry, Tsukki. I guess I got too carried away." 

His heart ached when he saw how sad he looked, it didn't make any sense to Kei. "No, I'm sorry." He blurted out. "Just.. like, warn me next time." He was confused, but the smile that graced Tadashi's lips made it so he didn't care. He leaned forward and leaned his forehead against Tadashi's as his eyes closed and he took a deep breath.

He couldn't explain it, but being close with Tadashi felt natural. As if it should have been this way all along. As if he'd been missing out on this intimacy, and every fiber of his being wanted to regain the time they'd lost. It was comfortable, it was calming, it was home. Kei opened his eyes and ran his hands up Tadashi's arms and to his neck, his palms emitting a faint white glow against Tadashi's skin. If he'd had any doubts about his existence before, this wiped them away. 

"I'm going to kiss you, Tsukki." Tadashi murmured quietly before Kei felt the star-dusted figure before him tilt his head just enough to press a soft kiss to Kei's lips. It was like he was struck by lightning; he felt overcome with emotion and sensation all at once, and felt tears slip down his cheeks as he leaned in to return the innocent kiss. Flashes of memory clouded his mind, of hot breath, warm hands, soft lips, loving gaze, and an intense longing for the man before him. 

Kei parts the kiss slowly. "Tadashi, is this how you feel all the time?" He asked, choking on his words. "Like we've been robbed of each other?"

"Yeah, every day for thousands of years." Tadashi whispered. "It's almost unbearable when you're in the world and haven't remembered me yet."

"I remember you right now, Tadashi.." He breathed shakily. "I-I feel like I've been waiting for so long." Kei said, and he finally understood why he'd said that in many different lives. It was true. His soul had been waiting to be reunited with Tadashi's. 

Kei then felt his vision fade, and felt a hot white light hit him in the face. He closed his eyes and felt suddenly light headed and leaned forward onto Tadashi's shoulder. His consciousness was fading and fast. He was fighting it, he didn't want to slip out. Not now. Not with Tadashi right here in front of him. It was a futile struggle, and when he felt Tadashi's hand stroke through his hair, he slipped out of reality.

 

He was standing bare foot on the railing of a stone bridge. There was a large crowd of people along the riverbanks and on the bridge behind him. A test of his movement made it clear that his wrists were tied behind his back with a rope that dug sharply into his already raw skin. He looked behind him as someone slid a noose around his neck and tightened it so he couldn't shake it off. He made eye contact with a woman he somehow knew was his mother, who looked down and hid her face in her hands. He suddenly realized that this was an execution.

He noticed the expressions on the crowd's faces. Each of them ranging from disgust to fear to anger, and there were shouts from men and women alike. "Hurry up!" "Push him off!" "Devil!" The crowd chanted, and he glared at one of the angry people, who shrieked something about how he'd just cursed her. He moved to get off the ledge but he heard a clacking sound and looked to his left and saw a gun aimed at his head.

"You have been found guilty of witchcraft, and are sentenced to death by hanging." A man that stood to his right said. He turned to face the man, noticing that he was the priest by the flowing robes and the golden cross in his hand. "In God's name, I banish you from this world and damn you to hell." He said coldly as he felt the cold metal of the gun's barrel press into his back.

"Tadashi. Please help me." He whispered, fear and panic surging in his veins.

"Hey! Silence witch!!" The man behind him shouted before he was shoved off the ledge and was sent plummeting towards the river below. He winced, waiting for death to take him as the rope would likely break his neck, but he was completely thrown off when he hit the frigid water below. He fought to break to the surface of the water, kicking his feet desperately as he pulled at the rope around his wrists. He felt his lungs burn as he fought to keep from breathing, and the rope dug into his skin harshly. He watched as bubbles started to escape his nose and kicked his legs frantically, even though it was futile.

He saw a flash of golden light in his peripheral vision, and immediately relaxed, knowing that Tadashi wouldn't let him die. He felt the rope around his wrists loosen and get pulled away as warm arms wrap around his waist. He moved his hands up and felt that the noose was no longer there at all. He was under for too long and the need to breathe became too strong as bubbles began to force their way out of his mouth and he took a breath of the water. His chest was on fire, and he thrashed in Tadashi's hold.

Tadashi pulled him to the surface and he coughed and sputtered as he brought air into his burning lungs. He coughed up water and panted hard when he heard a commotion from the riverbank, looking back to see the flushed and angry faces of the villagers. These were people he'd once loved, people who had once loved him, and they were angry that he'd survived. The splash of a stone in the water jolted him back to reality as he listened to the enraged voices of the villagers. Stones started plummeting into the water all around him, followed by the distinct sounds of gunshots. Tadashi quickly pulled him out of the river and took off on a run into the forest with him in his arms. He shivered when the cold air hit his wet skin, and leaned into Tadashi for warmth. 

He looked down at his body, which was pale and bloody and bruised, draped in torn, wet clothes that were stained with blood. He was sore from the beatings he'd faced when he was being interrogated. It'd been happening for almost a week. He hadn't called for Tadashi then, because that would have been even more incriminating. He should have known not to expect pity from the townsfolk just because they knew him. 

"Tsukki, I'm sorry." Tadashi whispered, holding him tightly as he ran lightning fast through the forest. 

"Don't apologize, I don't blame you, Tadashi." He sighed, leaning his head on his shoulder.

 

Kei shivered as his eyes opened back up and he'd noticed that goosebumps had risen across his skin. He was still kneeling on the top of the cliff where Tadashi had brought him. He smiled lightly, watching the sun peek out across the horizon when he felt something rest on his hand. He looked to the side, and saw Tadashi looking out at the sun as well, holding his hand tightly. He hadn't disappeared this time.

"Hey, are you alright?" Kei asked, pushing his glasses up on his nose, the stars across Tadashi's skin were growing faint, and were slowly flickering out one by one as the sun climbed higher.

"Yeah." Tadashi hummed, leaning on Kei's shoulder. "I just don't want the day to start."

"I can come back tonight, it's not a big deal." Kei said, shrugging a bit. 

Tadashi smiled to himself, and nodded slowly. "Thanks, Tsukki."

 

Walking back into town, Kei was met by several wary expressions. He turned a corner, being met by more uneasy expressions and people avoiding him. He ignored most of them, but when Kageyama marched right up to him he couldn't help the scowl that forced it's way onto his face.

"What the fuck is going on with you?!" Kageyama spat, grabbing him by the shirt.

Kei looked down at the glaring man in front of him and raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"The entire town noticed you last night! What the fuck is going on? You're acting crazy! Leaving town in the dead of night, what the fuck are you doing?" Kageyama growled.

"Let go, I need to get home." Kei rolled his eyes, grabbing Kageyama's wrist, which was tangled in his tunic. 

"Not until you tell me what's going on, Tsukishima!!" He snarled. "I saw you with that thing!"

Kei narrowed his eyes at him and grit his teeth. "He's not a thing." 

"Then what is it?" Kageyama asked loudly. "You're freaking out everyone in Karasuno!" 

People started to stop and stare at Kei, and started to whisper to one another. "Let go." Kei said lowly, grabbing Kageyama by the shirt.

"Tsukishima-kun! Kageyama-kun!" A third voice broke into the argument, and both men looked to Sugawara who marched over and punched both of them in the chests. They let go of each other with pained groans as they looked at the stern face of Sugawara. "This is ridiculous! Kageyama-kun, mind your business! And Tsukishima-kun, you're coming with me, now let's go." Both Kageyama and Tsukishima exchanged a glance before they nodded quietly, and Tsukishima followed Sugawara back to Sawamura's house. 

Sugawara didn't say a word as they walked side by side. He felt like he was about to be lectured by his mother, with the worried frown that turned Sugawara's lips downward. It wasn't until they were on Sawamura's porch that Sugawara spoke.

"Tsukishima-kun, I'm sure you've noticed that the villagers are picking up on your sudden change." He said, looking up at Kei. "And last night, some of them saw you walking out of town with.. someone." He opened the door and lead Kei inside. "I saw it too."

"That was Tadashi." Kei spoke up, following Sugawara into the room with the low table where they sat last time. 

"Well, the villagers seem to think that this has something to do with the demon that attacked you. I know it's not, but they think that it's possessed you" He shook his head, sitting down on a cushion. Sugawara looked like he was frustrated, and leaned his chin onto his bowed fingers as he furrowed his brows in thought. 

Kei sat across from Sugawara and sighed, leaning his head in his palms. "So, what am I supposed to do?" He asked, scowling at the table. "There's nothing that I can do that isn't going to incriminate me further."

"I don't know, I mean.. this is going to be a problem, especially if the people of Karasuno become more paranoid." Sugawara rubbed his temples. "I fear for your safety, Tsukishima-kun. Mob mentality is a terrifying thing."

"Well, I can't just stop this, Sugawara-san. I have no idea when I'll slip into a memory." Kei ran his hand through his hair and pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"Daichi and I are the only ones that know about Tadashi, right?" Sugawara asked, holding his chin as he looked to the ceiling.

"Well, not exactly. The Hinata siblings know about him, I mean.. Natsu saw him, and I slipped up when talking to Hinata." Kei frowned. "Why?"

"I'll have to talk to Daichi, and your mother, but if the rest of the villagers get too restless, we might have to come up with different living arrangements for you." He said, frowning. "I hate to say it this way, but we need to think of the big picture, in this case." Sugawara sighed.

"What do you mean by other living arrangements?" Kei asked warily with a deep scowl. 

"I mean that you might have to move out of your mother's shop. The people can't be afraid of the only apothecary shop in town. You'd stay with me and Daichi." Sugawara smiled weakly, and Kei clenched his fists in his lap. 

"I understand." He said. "Sugawara-san, I really appreciate your support." Kei muttered, looking down. "I don't think anyone else in town would have helped me this much."

Sugawara chuckled, and got up on his knees and ruffled Kei's hair fondly. "We have to help each other out, don't we?" He grinned at Kei, then blinked in surprise. "Say, Tsukishima.. did you have a birthmark on your neck before?"

"What? No, I've never had one." Kei frowned. 

"Then you might want to see this." Sugawara said softly as he stood up. "Come on."

Kei raised an eyebrow but stood up and followed Sugawara into another room. The ash-blonde man knelt before a trunk that rested in the far corner of the room and opened it, Kei looming awkwardly behind him. The older of the two rummaged around in the trunk for a while before he pulled out a small disk-shaped object.

"What's that?" Kei asked, watching as Sugawara opened the disk and handed it to him. He took it into his hands and looked inside at the reflective glass . 

"It's a mirror, it's one of the few relics that we still have from before the beginning." Sugawara explained. "The mark is on the left side of your neck, below the scar."

Kei nodded, taking the mirror and looking at the burn scar, which was much less pronounced than he thought it'd be. Then he found the perfect brown circle on his neck about the size of the pad of his thumb. He touched it with his fingers, and flinched when about half of it faintly glowed a pale blue color. It reminded him of the way his skin emitted white light when he touched Tadashi.

Sugawara rubbed his eyes in disbelief as the skin faded back to brown. "What was that?" 

"It's the moon." Kei answered, locking eye contact with Sugawara. "That's what phase it'll be tonight." 

"That's impossible." Sugawara said, running his hands through his hair, with a nervous smile on his lips.

"Everything that's been happening in the past couple of weeks has been impossible." Kei said, smirking humorlessly. "I've come to expect it by now."

Sugawara nodded, though he didn't look like he completely understood. How could he? "Okay, um.. You should get back home. I'll walk you back so hopefully there won't be anyone picking fights with you like this morning."

"Yeah.." Kei said, handing Sugawara back the mirror. When he turned to put the mirror back into the trunk, Kei could feel his vision start to fade out, and shook his head. "Oh no.." He muttered, leaning back against the wall and sliding down to the floor.

"Tsukishima-kun?" Sugawara asked, running over and kneeling beside him. "What's going on?"

"I'm slipping... out." He said softly, feeling his vision go black, and the world around him fade into nothingness.

 

Several fluorescent screens were projected before him as he typed on a glass keyboard, his eyes moved from screen to screen, reaching out and pulling pieces from one monitor and moving them to the next. He was designing weapons to fight the demons that have started to come through the weak dimensional barrier, since most of their weapons had been rendered useless against them. Nothing they'd tried thus far had worked, and the world was hanging in the balance. 

He was deep underground, in a steel room filled with others who were also working on the same type of technology he was using. The fluorescent lights contrasted with the overall darkness of the room, and casted a faint blue light against their faces. They worked hard, diligently as the world above them was being terrorized by beasts nobody could have possibly imagined before now. Well, everyone except him. He'd seen beasts just as terrifying before, long ago it seemed. Though he couldn't place when.

He sighed and signed off the program he was working on, feeling a headache start. He needed a break, and stood up to head into the bunkers where they all slept while they worked on these weapons. He woke up the next person to go take over his spot, and watched as she left the bunker before he laid down in his cot. He closed his eyes and started rubbing over his temples with his index fingers until the pain eased.

A sudden shaking jolted him upright, and he heard the steel and stone around him groan and quake. The other people who had been sleeping in their cots woke up one by one and a quiet buzz of confusion filled the long bunker. It wasn't more than a minute before the bright white lights on the high ceilings went out and the emergency red lights came on. Then the low echo of the alarm coming from the very center of the structure sounded. Everyone bolted upright, and filed out of the bunker in rushed motions. 

The hum of confusion grew louder as he and the other's made their way further underground. He'd never seen so many of the company's personnel in one concentrated area before, and immediately he knew that something was wrong. They made their way to the deepest sector of their building, and someone drew a pattern on a glass panel with two fingers, that opened up a hidden shaft. He'd never imagined the amount of chaos that could come over people as they tried pushing themselves into the shaft over one another. 

A low warbling growl echoed through the higher floors of the building, followed by a jolting shake throughout the hallway. He looked back over his shoulder as the rest of the people around him screamed and trampled over one another to try and force their way into the shaft. He heard echoing thumps and cries and roars as he pressed himself back into the steel wall of the long hallway to avoid getting trampled the panicking crowd of people. Something inside him kept him calm as he walked warily against the flow of people, moving towards the twisted growling creatures and the growing scent of blood. 

He made it past the last of the people who were still in a mass of punching and kicking and screaming, scowling at the spectacle. It was revolting, seeing a group of such intelligent people reduced to animalistic behavior. He lifted his pistol from his belt and walked the opposite direction of the people. He wasn't going to hide and wait for the inevitable, when he could possibly take out these things and save a few lives. The pistol he was carrying was a new weapon that they'd developed in the event of such attacks.

At the realization that he was the only one that was willing to fight these things, he frowned. He was surrounded by cowards. The entire point of being in the program was so they could fight these things with the weapons they created since all the weapons from the past century were completely useless. The difference was that these pistols shot concentrated light energy versus explosives or bullets. 

He heard a low rumbling growl when he turned down the next corridor, and walked warily down the hall, to a door that was cracked open. There were papers strewn across the floor and every step he took made a shifting sound under his shoes. He pressed himself to the wall before peeking into the room where he saw a pitch black creature hunched over something it was ripping into with a wide mouth filled with jagged teeth. He swallowed thickly, smelling blood.

He took a step and aimed his pistol at the demon just as it whipped around to look at him. It started to speak in a warped dialect that was mostly grunts and hissing whispers as it lunged forward at him. He shot at it and watched as the creature let out a shriek of pain and recoil. He shot at it again with shaking hands and the monster fell silent, wheezing out a final breath.

He could do it. He could fight these things and save their research. Just as the thought passed through his head there were different creatures moving quickly down the hall in his direction. One was centipede-like, only around 8 feet long with the upper body of a man. It crawled along the ceiling while the other threw itself at him. He was knocked to the floor and he shot the white bursts of light at the heavy creature that roared loudly in his face, it's many eyes locked on him and it's serpentine face grinned at him as it's mouth stretched open, revealing long fangs. He shot a round down it's throat, and the monster went flying off of him, and landed with a sickening thud on the ground several feet away from him.

There was no time to celebrate though, as the centipede-man thing was hovering over him on the ceiling. It twisted around just as he let off another round, narrowly missing it and the beast dropped onto him. It pinned him to the ground with it's human hands, knocking the pistol from his grip as it spoke in the same warped hissing and groaning language. He felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, A long black tongue dropped from it's mouth and wrapped around his neck just as a flash of golden light overcame his vision and the beast was knocked off of him.

Sitting up, he saw the figure of a naked man, Tadashi, that had his hand jammed through the beast's chest. He ripped the monster's heart out, thick blue blood dripping down the man's arm as he stared wide eyed, taking in the sight of glowing golden skin that was painted in glowing stars. He'd never seen the stars before, but something inside him knew that that's what they looked like.

"Who are you?" He asked, then choked and coughed, tasting blood as it dripped from his mouth. Tadashi turned and faced him sadly. 

"Sorry, Tsukki. I was too late this time." He said, his voice low with regret as he looked down at his stomach. Looking down, he saw what Tadashi had looked at. A wide tear of flesh that oozed thick hot blood from his abdomen. He coughed again and more blood splattered his hands as he flopped over in pain. His vision started to fade again.

 

Kei awoke gasping for breath, with a worried Sugawara standing over him. "Tsukishima-kun!" It took several moments before Kei could speak between gasping and coughing and feeling a stabbing pain in his stomach. It wasn't until the pain subsided that Kei even noticed Sugawara had knelt beside him and was rubbing his back. "What did you see?"

"I think.." He wheezed, looking at the older man with wide eyes. "I think I saw the beginning.."


	5. Chapter 5

Sugawara asked him about a dozen or so questions, having never witnessed him fade out of consciousness before. Kei answered whatever he wanted to know as best as he could, despite the fact that the mothering from this man was more than a little frustrating. After he appeared to be satisfied with his answers, Kei left for home, walking with Sugawara at his side. It was just as he'd said, having Sugawara with him prevented people from coming up and picking fights with him, and Kei was more than grateful for that. Useless fighting was one of the things that irritated him most. 

Once he was at the shop door, Sugawara smiled at him and pat his shoulder. "I'll be off now, Tsukishima-kun. Be careful, alright?" 

Kei nodded to the shorter man, who grinned up at him before he slapped him fondly on the back and left. Kei sighed at the aching in his shoulders from Sugawara's strong slap, and made his way inside. A couple of hunters, a tall, bulky man named Azumane and a very short man named Nishinoya, were purchasing some bandages and tape from his brother as he walked in, the sound of the bell turning their attention to him. 

"Kei." Akiteru said, his eyes wide as he ran around the counter. "What did I tell you about wandering off?!" He asked worriedly as he grabbed his younger brother's arms. 

"You said not to go into the forest. And I didn't." Kei grumbled in reply, looking away only to make eye contact with Nishinoya across the store. He scowled at him, and Kei raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"What was that last night?" He asked as he crossed his arms and fixed Kei with a hard glare. Azumane looked at him warily, before turning back to Nishinoya. "You left town in the middle of the night, scared the shit out of everyone."

"Noya, not now-" Azumane chided before Noya turned his frown to him and he flinched. 

"Asahi-san, you think it's weird too, right?!" He snapped, growling venomously. "He gets deathly injured, then he heals faster than anyone ever, most people don't even survive a demon attack! And now he's acting really fucking weird! Spacing out in the street, wandering off after some glowy thing in the middle of the night.." Nishinoya's glare returns to Kei. "I'm not the only one that thinks this is fishy."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Kei frowned, putting his hands in his pockets and leaned his weight onto one leg. "You and everyone else in this damned town needs to mind their own business."

"Kei, you can't blame him.. You have been acting strange, lately." Akiteru said, patting Kei on the shoulder, to which he pulled away from him and frowned.

"It's strange to me too." Kei said lowly, narrowing his eyes at the other men in the shop before walking out of the store front with a irritating feeling itching at his nerves and making him want to hit something. It was making him think irrationally and he hated it. He wasn't the fighting type. He was the thinking, rational type. The one that looked down on violence when it wasn't absolutely necessary. However when Tadashi was called a thing, his rationality slipped from him. 

He slid the sliding door to his room shut and tied the handles together with a belt, testing it to make sure his mother and brother couldn't open the door. He felt anxious, and scowled at the floor as he sat down on his futon. He frowned when he noticed how dirty his feet were, but there was no way he was going to the water room right now. Not when he knew his mother and brother would scold him for something completely out of his control.

A warm set of arms wrapped around his shoulders and a warm chest pressed to his back. Kei blinked and looked at the tanned, freckled skin before he reached back and ran a hand through soft, shaggy hair. A soft hum sighed into his ear and his anxiety melted away slowly, not enough to forget, but enough to relax a little.

"What are you doing here, Tadashi?" He asked softly, turning to meet timid hazel eyes with his own.

"Sorry, Tsukki." He said softly. "It's gotten stronger, it seems."

"What has?" Kei asked, raising his eyebrow at the freckled man. He reached up and brushed his thumb over the freckles dusting Tadashi's cheekbone, and watched as they glittered to life for a brief moment under his touch. 

"I think.. You're regaining some of your spirit-like qualities." Tadashi said. "You're much more responsive to me, and I to you, you're learning things much quicker, our bodies physically react when they touch.." 

"Hold on. So I don't usually have multiple memories in a day?" Kei asked, receiving a shake of the head from Tadashi. 

"I've healed you before, so I don't think it's just that.. I mean, you become more in-tuned to my energy when I have to.. but I've never healed your injuries when they were that fatal before, and I've also never healed anything that didn't come from a human before this lifetime." Tadashi explained. "And the more in-tuned you are with me, the more people notice it."

Kei listened to Tadashi, trying to rationalize it so it makes sense in his head. So, the villagers aren't completely wrong. "So this is because of that thing that attacked me?" He asked.

"It's possible." Tadashi sighed. "I'm not entirely sure, in the thousands of times we've met, this has never happened." 

The door rattles and Kei looked up, seeing a shadow under the wooden door. "Kei? Why can't I open the door?" Akiteru's voice called, and Kei shifted his eyes back to Tadashi. 

"I should go.." Tadashi said softly as the door began to rattle more insistently. "Before your family sees me."

"I want to know more, Tadashi." He said, taking Tadashi's hand. He hated feeling nervous and unsure of what was going on. "Stay, we can figure this stuff out."

"We're meeting again tonight, right?" Tadashi smiled and gave Kei's hand a squeeze before he vanished into thin air. Kei frowned and ran his hands through his hair when he heard another call of his name.

"What?" He grumbled, shooting a glare at the door. 

"Open the door, Kei." Akiteru chided, trying to open the door again and only succeeding in rattling the door.

"Sorry, we're closed. Come back during normal business hours." Kei said, laying back on his futon and trying to process what Tadashi had told him, and what might be happening to him. 

"Seriously, open the door." His brother's voice called again. "Come on, Kei." Kei almost laughed at the exasperation in his brother's voice, and elected to completely tune out Akiteru in favor of thinking things over.

'If I have spirit-like qualities, maybe I have magic too.' He thought, looking at the ceiling. In any other instance, he'd think the entire notion of supernatural abilities to be completely ludicrous, but seeing as how he was the fucking moon, he figured that far-fetched thinking isn't actually that bad of an idea. Maybe he could throw himself into a memory at will, maybe he could remember how to use magic the way Tadashi does. Or he could learn to control the onslaught of memories. The possibilities were endless. Maybe he could heal too?

Sitting up he crossed his legs and rested his hands on his knees. He took a deep breath and tried to completely relax, focusing on steady, even breathing. He wasn't even sure what exactly he was trying to do, he just knew that he needed to see if he could channel anything. Anything at all.

For several long minutes, he meditated. Thinking of absolutely nothing and keeping his mind open, which he admits is actually pretty hard to do. After he resolved that maybe he couldn't do anything at will, he opened his eyes with a sigh, only to find that he was no longer sitting on his futon and was levitating several centimeters above it. The general shock of the situation made him crash back down to the floor and he groaned, pushing himself back up into a sitting position. He looked down at his body that had started to let off a faint white light as his skin faded back to it's usual color, and shook his head. 

'It must be a fluke.' He thought, suddenly feeling drained of energy. 'I shouldn't be able to do that.' He flopped back onto his futon and sighed, closing his eyes as he tugged his glasses off. The lack of sleep last night was starting to take a toll on him, he figured. He allowed himself to drift off. He was safe inside his room, away from the paranoid people of his little village and the unknown creatures of the forest. 

 

When his eyes opened, he was somewhere else. He was a young boy with his pants rolled up to his knees and was wading in a small stream. He was with a friend hunting for frogs, he noticed as his friend pulled one out of the stream with a triumphant "Ah hah!!" He watched the other boy as he tromped his way out of the water noisily to drop the frog into a bucket on the bank of the stream. 

He sloshed through the mucky water, plunging his hands in every time he saw a frog in an attempt to catch it. His clothes were sopping wet, so it was apparent that he'd fallen in a few times already. He pulled out another little brown frog and grinned.

"Amir, I caught another!!" He exclaimed and hurried out of the stream, his feet sticking in the mud as he made his way to the plastic bucket to deposit the frog in as well. Inside the bucket had to be a dozen frogs already, and he grinned at his collection before looking to his friend, Amir, who was also leaning over the edge of the bucket.

"Let's put them in the pool at my house." His friend beamed, his eyes shining excitedly. He nodded along in agreement, grabbing the edge of the bucket with his wet hands as Amir grabbed the other side and they both started to carry it out of the woods and toward their houses. 

They got to his friend's yard when suddenly, the ground started to shake. "Earthquake..!" He said loudly, dropping the bucket as he ran, dragging Amir to hide under the picnic table in his backyard. The ground continued to tremble and suddenly shook violently, and he threw his hands over his head as he crouched to the ground under the wooden picnic table. 

"Dummy! We lost all the frogs now!" Amir hissed as he crawled under the table after him. "We coulda brought them with us!"

He whimpered, the shaking ground shattering windows and taking down trees and cracking the paved road down the middle. "Shut up!" He yelled back as a tree fell alongside the picnic table, hitting the ground with a loud 'thud'. His friend screamed then, and started to cry as the ground seemed to jump and spin beneath their crouched bodies. 

The shaking ground slowed to a stop, the rumbling rolling off into an echo like thunder. Sitting up a little, he looked up at the sky at the end of the end of the picnic table. There he saw a pulse of dark purple lightning crack across the sky, and spider out. It looked and sounded similar to the way ice cracks and breaks over a pond in the winter under pressure.

"What's going on?" Amir asked. 

"I dunno.." He answered, his own voice wavering. 

The cracks in the sky didn't fade like normal lightning did, and seemed to get wider. People started filing out of the houses up and down their street, looking up at the strange phenomenon that was happening right before their eyes. Another loud crack echoed, shaking the earth again and sending people toppling to the ground. It sounded like thunder and another round of that strange purple lightning split the across the sky. 

Large black masses started to fall from the cracks, one by one. He could hear the whispers and shrieks of panic sweep across the people that were pushing themselves to their feet. His friend gripped his arm and stared up at the sky from their hiding spot under the table, but he didn't speak. Fear was etched into Amir's features and he opened his mouth, trying say something comforting to him but nothing came out.

A crashing boom that reminded him of an explosion shook the ground, and was followed by a woman screaming in what sounded like utter terror. Several more screams echoed down the street, but he couldn't see what'd happened. All he knew was that people had started to run. He crawled out of his spot, pulling Amir's hand to get him to follow him. He dragged him toward the flow of the crowd, feeling that if he ran, they may be able to get to safety from whatever was happening.

Looking up, he saw one of the black masses hurtling toward their location and land with a loud, exploding crash that sent dust and debris flying. He stopped running because Amir's feet became glued to the ground. 

"We need to go, Amir! Let's go!" He said, looking back at his friend. He was petrified, his eyes wide with terror and his body shaking as he stared into the cloud of dust. 

He turned to see what Amir was looking at, and was met with the sight of a massive creature with ash coloured skin, covered in glowing vein-like cracks with one huge red eye in the center of it's forehead. It had the jaws of a dog and it's body was grotesquely fat and almost humanoid, save for it's skinny arms and bird-like talons for hands. It's eye turned toward them and it let out a loud, gurgling roar that sounded something like a drowning animal. 

He let out a silent scream, and stumbled backwards as the creature moved toward them. Amir stayed stationary though, despite his best attempts to pull him with him. The monster snatched Amir up in his talons, and Amir cried out as he was lifted high into the air and squeezed hard enough that he could hear bones snap. 

"AMIR!!" He shouted, watching his friends body fall limp in the creature's hold. It then bit Amir's head clean off, sending thick red blood splattering on the street. Tears blurred his vision and he felt sick to his stomach. He hunched over on his hands and knees and vomited, listening to the sickening crunch and rip of his best friend's bones and flesh. 

Panic took over his entire body, and he pushed himself shakily to his feet and made to run. He didn't make it far as his legs were knocked out from under him and he landed flat on the pavement. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. Pain shot through his entire body as he felt those enormous canine jaws rip into his leg and lift him from the ground, dangling upside down. He screamed as loud as he could, hurting his voice as the thick and pungent smell of blood filled his nostrils. He was going to die.

 

Kei's eyes opened and the sensations of burning pain and nausea hit him like a tidal wave. He writhed and choked, his leg feeling like it was being crushed between those huge teeth. He shook and clapped his hand over his mouth as he forced himself to his feet and staggered toward the bedroom door. Every time Kei put pressure on his right leg, he felt like he'd collapse and the smell of blood wouldn't leave his nose. He eventually got the bedroom door open and ran toward the water room just in time to crumple to the cold concrete floor and dry heave. Kei stayed on the floor for a long time, his body attempting to puke up nothing as his leg pulsed and burned.

It wasn't until the pain faded and the heaving stopped that he could process what'd happened in the memory. This was the first time he remembered losing anybody, and he decided he really didn't want to experience that again. He pushed himself up shakily, sitting back on his heels and rubbing the tears from his eyes bitterly.

"Kei?" His brother's voice sounded from behind him, and he turned around quickly to see the blurred form of Akiteru standing in the doorway with an orange blur beside him that was obviously one of the Hinata siblings, but without his glasses he couldn't tell which one it was. 

"What?" Kei grunted, his voice hoarse from heaving up nothing. 

"What happened, are you sick?" Akiteru asked.

"I'm not sick, I'm fine.." He said, pushing himself to his feet before stumbling over to the water spout. He grabbed the handle and began pumping it, running the cold water over his head to soothe his nerves. Kei stopped pumping the water and stood up straight, sighing deeply and pushing the wet hair from his forehead.

The voice of Hinata Shouyou said. "You sure you're okay? You look like crap, Tsukishima." Kei felt like he wanted to just die now. Of course it would be this little shit that would see him in this state.

"Nice of you to notice." Kei replied dryly as he pushed himself past the two figures in the doorway. He ran his fingers through his wet hair and once his feet hit his futon, he got to his knees to find his glasses. His fingers hit them and he quickly pulled them onto his face and the room came into focus. 

"Are you sure you're alright? If you'd like, I'll have a look at you." Akiteru said, having apparently followed him from the water room.

"I'm fine." Kei stated firmly. 

"You don't look fine." Hinata said, and Kei felt his voice grate on his nerves. He turned a bitter look toward the door and almost smirked when he saw Hinata flinch. 

Akiteru sighed, shooting him an exasperated look. "I'm going back to the storefront. Shou-kun wanted to talk to you, Kei. Be nice, won't you?" 

Kei watched his brother leave and felt a strong sense of betrayal. His eyes moved to the figure of the short orange haired man in the doorway, who's expression was much like Sugawara's had been earlier that day; worried.

"Well?" Kei muttered, feeling frustrated that even Hinata was worried about him.

Hinata took a glance toward the storefront before he stepped into the bedroom and slid the door closed. Kei raised an eyebrow at this but simply sat down to wait for the other to tell him what he wanted. The short man walked over and sat in front of Kei with his legs folded under him, then heaved a loud sigh. "I saw him, your friend."

Kei rolled his eyes. "You and half of Karasuno." 

"I know, but he helped you save Natsu, right?" Hinata said, louder this time. "Everyone thinks this is something dangerous, I just wanted you to know that I'm on your side." 

Kei stared at him for a moment before he smirked. "Ah, so I have the support of the great Hinata Shouyou?" He sneered, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure all of the villagers will see that they've misjudged me now."

"That's not what I meant, Tsukishima." Hinata crossed his arms with a scowl. 

Kei tsked and looked down his nose at Hinata. "What did you mean then?" 

"I meant that, maybe we can somehow show them that your friend isn't dangerous. Then everyone can calm down and stop acting like you're possessed." Hinata explained, using wild hand motions that weren't really necessary. 

Kei frowned. "Don't you get it? Anything I do is only going to make things worse.. I've been killed before because of this." 

Hinata blinked, squinting his eyes at him and tilting his head in confusion. "You look pretty alive to me."

"Of course I'm alive, you idiot!" Kei hissed, but then took a deep breath and ran his hand down his face. Hinata had flinched and leaned back nervously. At this, Kei exhaled and muttered an apology. "Just, listen to me for a minute.. This is going to sound really crazy, alright?"

Hinata nodded and relaxed a little. "Alright..?"

"This isn't my first life.." Kei said, hating the words that came out as he spoke them. "And if I'm correct, it won't be my last. I'm having these.. memories, and I remember my own family sending me to die because of this connection I have with.. with my friend."

Hinata looked lost in thought for a moment, but eventually nodded. "So, this happened before?"

"Sort of, yeah." Kei grumbled.

"I get it." Hinata nodded, crossing his arms.

"Most of what I remember is my deaths.. I'm thinking that part of my curse is that I usually have a gruesome and painful death." Kei explained. 

"You're cursed!?" Hinata squawked, scrambling backwards a little.

"It's not contagious," He scowled. "And I thought you said you were on my side.. or was that a lie?" He raised his eyebrow in what he knew was a challenging way.

"I... I am, I just.." Hinata grumbled, sitting up. "This is just a lot to process, you know?"

"Of course I do." Kei rolled his eyes.

"Right.. um.." Hinata rubbed his neck and pursed his lips in thought. "What are you going to do if things get worse?"

Kei shrugged. "Sugawara-san is working on that, fortunately."

"Suga-san knows?" Hinata chirped, perking up a little.

Nodding, Kei sighed. "I went to Sugawara-san and Sawamura-san for help when I first started remembering things.. I want to keep this quiet though, Hinata. Do you understand? You can't tell anyone."

"Okay okay, geez.." Hinata huffed with a pout, crossing his arms. "So like, does your friend have a name or something?"

Kei blinked; he had not been expecting that question and felt his face flush. "Er, yeah.. He does." 

"You gonna tell me?" Hinata asked loudly.

"Nope."

"Aw, come on, Tsukishima!" He complained, to which Kei laughed.

"I'm not going to tell you anything more about him until I know I can trust you." He explained.

"So this is like a test?" Hinata asked.

"Exactly." Kei sighed, leaning back and glancing at the ceiling. "Well, you should probably go now, we don't want the town to think you're going crazy too."

"Ah, right." He mumbled, pushing himself to his feet. 

Kei watched the other make his way to his bedroom door and grab the handle of the sliding door. Before Hinata left the room however, Kei's mouth had already opened to say, "Thanks."

The orange haired man froze and looked back at him, blinking surprisedly before he flashed a grin at Kei over his shoulder. "You sure you're not going crazy, Tsukishima?"

"Get out." He hissed, shooting a piercing glare at the shorter. He watched as Hinata jumped and bolted from the room but couldn't deny that he did feel a little better, knowing he had another ally in this. He heard the faint jingling of the bell on the shop door and knew that the older Hinata sibling had gone.

Kei turned to look out the window and sighed, seeing the sun high in the sky. This day wasn't going to go any faster, was it? He may as well get something to eat.

 

Kei had ducked out of his family's shop that evening just before sundown, wearing a hooded jacket that was far too warm for a humid summer night like this. He had the hood drawn over his head to hide his face as he took off down the street in his thin leather shoes. He was paranoid of the villagers he passed by, but it seemed that he didn't draw their attention much. A small smirk formed on Kei's lips, perhaps he'd be able to get out of town without being noticed. 

He slowed his jog to a leisurely walk as he reached the edge of town, knowing he could skip town without drawing the villagers' attention now that he'd gotten this far. He had just a little farther to go before he could shed this heavy, hot and itchy wool-lined coat. He wiped the sweat from his face and just as he was about to pass by Sawamura's house when he felt eyes on his back. He took a quick glance over his shoulder and locked eyes with none other than Kageyama.

He was advancing on him and Kei immediately decided to change routes. He stepped up onto Sawamura's porch just as Kageyama joined him and whipped him around slamming him against the wall of the house. He hissed painfully and narrowed his eyes at the shorter man that stood before him. 

"What?" Kei said lowly, hoping not to draw anyone's attention.

"You know damn well what." Kageyama growled. "What is going on with you? I fucking saw you trying to leave again." 

Kei rolled his eyes. "You're delusional."

"The hell I am!" Kageyama hissed. "Hinata is acting strangely too, he used to jump at the chance to complain about you, and now he just changes the subject.. What did you do to him?!"

"Nothing." Kei answered, sighing at Kageyama's idiocy and rolling his eyes. "He's just grateful that I saved his sister from a beast in the forest a week ago."

For a moment Kageyama looked shocked, and his eyebrows furrowed. "He never told me that." He muttered, gritting his teeth.

"Maybe it's because you're always so quick to assume I have some ulterior motive." Kei explained, raising an eyebrow.

Kageyama looked like he was about to say something when they heard a cough, causing them both to jump and turn their heads to face Sawamura. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest and a raised eyebrow as he stared them down. 

"If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought you were fighting. But you weren't fighting, right?" He asked, smiling menacingly.

Kageyama immediately released Kei's coat and looked down at the ground, shaking his head. "N-Not at all, Sawamura-san."

"Good." Sawamura looked at Kei and his demeanor changed a bit. "Come inside, Tsukishima." He said with a nod of his chin. "And go home, Kageyama."

Kei went to step through the doorway when he heard Kageyama begin rattling off questions to Sawamura one after another. "Why are you letting him in?" "Do you know something?" "What's going on?" It was a huge relief to Kei as he listened to the older man simply dodge Kageyama's questions and tell him to go home, which he did begrudgingly after realizing his questions wouldn't be answered. He released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and pulled off the coat once inside the house, feeling a little better. 

"Tsukishima, you need to be more careful." Sawamura sighed as he closed the door. "Suga said that you'd be more likely to have people starting fights with you after that spectacle last night, but I didn't expect to find you fighting so soon." 

"It's not like I was trying to start a fight." He answered, following Sawamura into the sitting room where he'd been having his discussions with him and Sugawara lately. Sugawara was sipping a cup of tea at the table and set it down when he noticed him there.

"What happened?" He asked, worriedly.

"I found Kageyama trying to pick a fight with him outside." Sawamura answered. "He was convinced that Tsukishima was trying to leave town again."

"I was." Kei answered, earning himself tired expressions from the other men in the room. "What?"

"Look, Tsukishima.. You really need to lay low, don't cause any more unrest, understand?" Sawamura said.

He simply gaped at the two older men in utter disbelief, feeling a twinge of betrayal. "You're kidding, right?" 

Sugawara exhaled, motioning for Kei to sit down, though he remained stationary. "We know you want to go out and get your answers.. but you're setting the town on edge. We need to keep Karasuno as calm as possible, for everyone's safety."

"Fuck safety, I need to go to Tadashi!" Kei scowled, clenching his fists. "He's the only one that can help figure out what's happening to me."

Sugawara hesitated a little before speaking again. "We know that-"

"Then I need to see Tadashi as much as possible if I'm ever going to understand this!" Kei snapped, narrowing his eyes at the two men who's faces paled. "What?" He quipped, crossing his arms. 

The couple exchanged a panicked glance. Sawamura swallowed and turned back to him warily. "It's your eyes," he said shakily.

He rolled his eyes and leans onto one leg impatiently. "What about them?"

Sugawara then spoke up quietly. "They're glowing."


End file.
